Welcome To Reality
by Vision-X
Summary: Sequel to Reality Bites. This time, the X-Men come to OUR WORLD! *Complete!*
1. Chapter One

Title: Welcome To Reality  
Authors: AC, Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel Characters belong to Marvel Comics. All non-Marvel Characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome To Reality-Chapter One**

_**~The Year 2004~**_

Amanda had just come home from work and was looking forward to watching a new episode of the top rated X-men TV show. The X-men had been her favorite comic for years and she was glad that she had helped make the show a success. She loved writing the various plots, and everyone just seemed to follow her lead. She didn't know how she had become the head writer, but leadership seemed to come easy for her. 

After she watched the show, she checked her voice mail. There was one message from Cara. Cara was her friend whom she had met over the internet; both she and Maria were the first two to post on her story Reality Bites. After that, they continued to write stories together and decided to meet, and the rest was history. 

Amanda knew Cara was trying to set her up with another guy, but Amanda knew it would be pointless. Amanda was looking for a special type of man. He had to be intelligent, kind, a visionary, a leader, and he had to have blue eyes. No guy she had been with had lived up to her ideal. Cara was worried that she would never marry and settle down, but Amanda was determined to wait. 

After she checked her voice mail, she took a shower and then decided to go on the net. She loved to get ideas from fans for the show and would pay them if she used one. Fanfics, in her opinion, were sometimes better then the comics. She hooked up to the net and saw that she had mail. She looked at the address and realized that she didn't know it. She decided to open it. 

_Something **Sinister** is on the way. Are you ready to join the fight? Keep the **X** in your **Vision**._

Amanda freaked out when she saw that the rest of the page had Vision-X written down it. She remembered that Vision-X had been the name of a superhero team she had used in one of her stories. She also vaguely remembered that the villain in it was Sinister. When she looked at the address, she noticed it said @anonback. Amanda decided she needed to call Cara. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Sammi woke up to the sun shining on her face. She placed her hands over her face and felt it. The rings on her left ring finger. She pulled her hand back and sighed. _/I can't believe after 4 years, we're finally married. And today we're leaving on our Honeymoon. I can't wait./_ She thought. 

She turned on her side and saw his back. She leaned over and cuddled up closer to him. She felt him stir and said, "Mornin', sweetheart." 

He turned his face to hers, still not really believing that they were married. He kissed her lips and said, "If you're a dream, I never want to wake up." 

She kissed him again, and said, "Nope. It's not a dream. You're stuck with me forever." 

She smiled and he smiled back and said, " Well, you're stuck with me, too. I love you, Sammi." 

She kissed him again, but longer this time and said when she broke it, "I love you, too, Jonas." 

She laid her head down on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She could stay like that forever. She remembered when she woke up after coming back; it was only a few minutes after she had been brought to the other dimension. She was crushed when she thought it was a dream. She felt like she lost her family again, but this time it seemed worse. She lost her best friend, the love of her life, and her father. She spent three months after that throwing herself into her work. 

She never painted that much in her life. She had paintings of everyone; Leilee, Cara, Ryan, Sabretooth, Xavier, Remy, Storm, Sean, Angelo, Teb, Athena, Bobby, and Rogue. And the ones she had the most paintings of were Logan, Jonas, Jamar and Jubilee. Anyone who saw them had told her she should try and get a job with Marvel, but she never tried. She felt it would have been too painful to be around all of it every day. 

After that first year, she decided to move on she put everything behind her. She sold all of her paintings except for one of each member of Vision X, and of Jubilee and Logan. The money from her paintings put her through school where went on to be a writer. She wrote a few X-Men novels, and two of Generation X. One night after one too many drinks, she went back to the storyboard and started writing on a story; it felt like old times, and she was addicted again. One day when she checked her email there was a letter from another writer on the board. They started writing back and forth only using their board names. 

After writing for a few months, Sammi got up the nerve and asked his name. When she found out his name was Jonas, she wrote him about her dream. After that, she knew it wasn't a dream after all, and that she had been given another chance at love. 

Sammi snapped out of her memories when she suddenly heard a small sizzling noise. She looked at Jonas and asked, "Did you hear that?" 

"What? I didn't hear anything, What did it sound like?" He asked. He didn't hear anything but he was curious as to what she had heard. 

"It was a kinda sizzling and cracking noise. I don't hear it anymore, but I could have sworn that I heard it before. I just can't place it." She said, placing her head back down. 

He started to stroke her hair and said, "It was probably nothing. But we have to get up, we have a plane to catch." 

"Yeah, I know." She said, slowly getting up. "But I need coffee. Do you want anything? I'll make breakfast." 

"Do you think pancakes is too much?" He asked, giving her a smile. 

"Nope. I'll be back." She got up and put on her bathrobe and started walking out the door, when she heard him say, "I hope she doesn't burn them again." 

"It wasn't my fault they burned before. Blame Cara, she was cooking them." She said, and turned to see the shocked look on his face. "What?" She asked. 

"Honey, I didn't say that out loud. I thought it." Jonas said. 

"I heard you." She started to say, but stopped as she felt an itching sensation on the back of her hands. 

Out of curiosity, she tried something she hadn't done in over three years. She tried to pop her claws. _'SNICKT!'_ The claws that she thought had been just a dream popped out! When she met Jonas on the board and they got to writing emails to each other, one day she mentioned the dream and they realized that it wasn't a dream... it had really happened, and now it was happening again. 

"Goddess, Jonas do you see them?" She asked hoping they were a figment of her imagination. 

"Yeah, I see them. Pull them back and get you coffee. Call Cara and see if this is happening to her, too. I'll be down in a moment, after I call Jamar." Jonas said as he picked up the phone. He needed to keep calm for Sammi. He knew what it did to her, when she woke up. He also knew that if Sammi didn't freak, then Cara or Ryan would. 

Sammi walked down the hallway, but stopped when she heard someone in the kitchen. She slowly walked up to the doorway and peeked around. There she saw someone standing in the doorway with the refrigerator door open. She looked at the person that looked to be a male with reddish brown hair, and he was wearing a trench coat. 

_/I know that coat,/_ She thought. 

"Remy?" She said loud enough for the man to hear her. He turned around and she saw his trademark red-on-black eyes. She ran up to the stunned man and gave him a big hug. She stepped back and looked at him. She turned her head and yelled, "JONAS! WE HAVE COMPANY!!" 

**jubilee_79**

**_~The Office of Dr. Peter Smivey, Ph.D.~_**

Jamar had become frustrated sitting on the overstuffed leather couch. He'd been telling the man things that he felt were real, and yet the man contradicted him at every turn. 

"Alright, Mr. Alexander. Let us try this again. You appear to be no longer suffering from the legion of personalities which once plagued you. Although it now appears that you have concocted a fanciful story to account for the presence of normality in your life." 

"Are you trying to say that I'm just making all this up because I'm afraid to go back to my normal life?" 

"It's only fear of an uncertain future that's pushing you thusly. You are no longer stressed by the burden of your illness or your delusions as you once were. Your paranoia and doubts are normal." _/ABOUT AS NORMAL AS FOOTBALL BAT, YOU NUTJOB./_

Jamar falls off the couch as his mind whirls in an attempt to keep up. _/This isn't happening. Is it? /_ The temperature begins to drop slightly as nervousness takes over. His cell phone chimes in. He fumbles for the call key. 

"Hello!?" 

_"Jamar?"_

"Jonas!? Is something wrong?" 

_"Well...Yeah...Uh...someone just dropped in on us and we'd like for you to come over as soon as you can. Oh, and by the way, you wouldn't happened to have noticed anything weird today, would ya?"_

"Uh...nope...nothing at all. I'll be there in a few minutes. Dr. Smivey, I've gotta run, something urgent has come up." 

"I don't think you should leave right now we're at a critical stage. If you're having trouble adjusting, maybe I should recommend to Dr. Swan that you be readmitted to Crestwood." 

"SESSIONS OVER, YOU'LL SEE ME NEXT MONTH." 

"Well, the session's over for now. I'll see you next month." 

Jamar rushes out of the office and into the elevator. When the elevator opened into the parking garage, Jamar was out and racing towards his car. /Everything is always a mad dash to do things./ he thought. 

Jumping into the car, Jamar peeled out, leaving tire marks on the pavement. Once on the highway there was very heavy traffic, so it afforded him time to think. His mind was drifting, trying to come to grips with things that had transpired in the last three years. 

_**~CRESTWOOD ASYLYM…er…HOSPITAL, FLASHBACK~**_

//I'd come outta surgery fine. They claimed it was a complete success, even though one doctor said it shouldn't have worked. They placed me back in the ward. I knew that if I stayed one more week with these crazies I'd really go insane. Just when I was about fed up, they brought in two new patients, Cara and Ryan. The ladies looked a bit outta place, but who really looks crazy now a days? 

It seemed that Ryan had gotten into a little trouble with her boyfriend and a tiny little fire. The court appointed attorney had convinced the judge that she was mentally incapacitated at the time, so she'd been sent to Crestwood for help. Cara was having some extreme medical problems and had come to see a specialist about them. As soon as I saw her eyes, I knew I'd seen her before. The feeling of déjà vu wouldn't leave me. 

That night was when the dreams began. {{A strange man kneeling. The floor was glowing pink. Cara was kneeling across from the man. A purple flash and large explosion, then I woke up.}} The next morning I talked to Cara about the dream just for a laugh. Then she told me she had seen something similar that night. Three days had passed without either of us speaking about the dreams we'd had. 

Then late one night, Ryan began to scream. In a fit of tossing and turning she became so hysterical that the orderlies had to come and sedate her for the evening. She told us the next morning that she'd had a nightmare about a dragon trying to kill her. By then we knew something was up. We thought that maybe the orderlies were slipping us shroom juice or something. Then I started asking myself "Why is this happening? What would Sammi do?" We had all been in the hospital about two months when Cara and I were released. Ryan had a bit of a problem with her release since she had committed a crime recently. This was also when they found out she was pregnant. It seems she was about five months along. She swore her ex wasn't the father. 

I was surprised to see Sammi after so long, but it didn't really seem that long to me. After seeing how close we all had become during our time at Crestwood, Sammi asked us to stay with her and her boyfriend/fiancé. After about four months, Ryan's daughter Kat came to live with us. She's a great kid, so full of energy…kinda reminds of somebody especially when she gets into trouble. Ryan was eventually released, making us one big happy family. Then after months of being told we were crazy at Crestwood, we learned our dreams were actually repressed memories. // 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

A blaring horn brought him out of his reverie. The man behind him passed him, giving Jamar the finger. Jamar pulled off the highway and into the driveway. _/After braving the highway, the thought never crossed my mind to just teleport over. I wonder if I remember how./_ Jamar looks around to see if there is anyone in sight, and then disappears in a purple flash. 

**_~IN SAMMI'S DEN~_**

Cara, Sammi, and Jonas sit talking with Gambit, when a loud crackling sound is heard in the bathroom followed by a crash and the sound of running water. 

"What was that?" 

A very ruffled Jamar comes walking out in a wet Sports jacket. He stops, staring in shock as Gambit sits across the room with his legs slung over the side of a chair. 

"Sammi, what's going on?" 

"Are you gonna be alright dere, homme?" 

"Yeah, I'll be fine in a moment." Jamar glances over to where Ryan is sitting. He was glad that Cara had taken Kat over to her friend Cindy's house. _/I can't imagine how this is affecting her. Creed is…was, very dear to her. She still hasn't come to grips with everything that has happened, but at least she has Kat and the rest of us./_

**Chaos**

At that moment, Cara's cell phone rang. Cara pulled it out of her pocket and answered. 

"Hello?" 

_"Hi, Cara. It's me, Amanda. Can I talk to you?"_ she heard the worried voice of Amanda on the other end of the line. 

"Sure, hold on." Cara said into the phone. "It's Amanda," she told the others. "I'll be right back..." she said as she got up and took the phone into the kitchen. 

"Amanda? What's up? You sound really worried." she asked. 

"We've got trouble. Do you remember that story we wrote together, a few years ago? Wasn't there a character in it called Anon?" 

Cara felt herself stiffen. Anon. That was a name she hadn't heard in nearly five years...why would Amanda be asking her about it now? 

"Yes, there was, I remember. Why do you ask?" 

_"Because I received a warning in an e-mail message...and the return address said @anonback. Do you think we should tell the others?"_

Cara stood silent for a moment. "Yes, I think we should. Forward the e-mail to me so I can show the others." Then Cara remembered something. 

She looked out the kitchen door at Gambit, then said on the phone, "Um, Amanda...there is something else that YOU should know, but I really can't tell you over the phone. I think you're going to have to see it for yourself... How soon can you be here?" 

_"You want me to come there?"_

"Yes, I think it would be best...also, see if you can get in touch with Maria, and ask her to come too." 

_"Both me and Maria...this must be big."_

"Bigger than Big...you'll understand when you get here." Cara finished. 

**Rainfall**

Cara hung up, then went out of the kitchen to tell the others. She saw by the look on Jamar's face that he'd heard the conversation. That was when Cara remembered the mindlink. 

"Well I could..." Jamar stops in midsentence as he sees the look of displeasure and threat of bodily harm on Cara's face. 

_/You could what? Try teleporting them here? Did it occur to you earlier that you might have appeared inside of the wall or something, hmm?/_

_/But I didn't.../_ Cara continues to give him a stern look _/...Well, it was good idea at the time./_

Sammi picked up on the telepathic communication between the two, and began laughing, no longer able to hold it back. The telepathic exchange between her brother and sister-in-law stops. 

Cara glared at her, responding out loud, "Don't encourage him." 

"He doesn't need encouraging..." 

Another glare from Cara silenced Sammi...but she was still shaking with laughter. 

**Chaos and Rainfall**

Cara sighed, then said, "Amanda told me about a threatening e-mail which she received from some unknown party. I asked her to forward it to me, and also to come over here. Whatever is happening, it involves all of us." 

Then Cara turned around and went back into the kitchen. She wasn't really angry, just a little preoccupied....and she didn't notice the wary expression on Gambit's face. 

_/De petit's eyes, dey beginnin' to glow... and Gambit know what dat mean's.../_ he thought to himself, as he stood up and followed Cara into the kitchen. He remembered what happened when she had first gotten her powers, and he was afraid that something similar might happen now. 

Cara stood by the open window, staring off into space. She was thinking about Anon. Even now, the name sent chills running up and down her spine. She was worried. Cara absentmindedly drummed her fingertips on Sammi's toaster, and didn't notice that it had begun to glow. 

Gambit noticed though...he rushed at Cara, grabbed the toaster and flung it through the open window, then pushed Cara to the ground, sheilding her from the resulting blast which rocked the building. 

Jamar and the others ran into the kitchen. Cara and Gambit sat on the floor, coughing and wiping dust and dirt out of their eyes. 

"Are you alright?" Jamar asked as he helped Cara to her feet. 

"Yes, I'm fine... Gambit saved me... but, Honey? We owe Sammi a new toaster... and a new kitchen window." 

"A new toaster, huh?" Jamar said as he raised one eyebrow, and stifled a grin. 

/It was an accident, I swear.../ Cara said on a veiled mindlink, so Sammi couldn't pick up on their discussion... and she gave Jamar her most innocent expression. 

Jamar gave her a knowing look and replied through the veiled mindlink. /But I know you had it out for that toaster from the beginning.../ 

Cara could feel his laughter begin to flow through her... apparently, her empathy was also returning. 

/heh heh heh, Hey, it burned my pop tarts!/ she finished, as she began to giggle. 

**Rainfall and Chaos**

Ryan thought back to the day she had finally gotten out of the nut house. It was the happiest day of her life. She had put all the bad memories behind her and could get on with her life and raise her daughter. Now it was all coming back. If the doctor found out she was having delusions again, she would be locked up again. They would take away her daughter for sure. This can't be real, she thought, I don't want to go back. 

**_~Flashback, Crestwood, about 3 years ago~_**

"After I found my boyfriend and my best friend together I freaked out. I couldn't deal with reality anymore. It is all kind of a big blur after that. I went out drinking and then I was arrested. I was let out on bail and started to drink some more. I don't really remember what happened after that. I only remember waking up in a hospital bed. Apparently I had alcohol poisoning and I was pregnant. Luckily the baby was alright." 

"And what about the fantasy? The one where the father of your baby was a comic book villain? What do you think of that now, Ryan?" 

"It was just that…. A fantasy…I must have been brutally raped when I was drunk and that experience combined with losing my job and finding my boyfriend led me to dream up some fictional story to deal with it all." 

"How do you feel about what you did to your boyfriend?" 

"I'm sorry about what I did. I should have handled the situation differently." _/Yeah I should have turned the car around and ran over the fire hydrant so he couldn't put out his burning furniture,/_ Ryan thought to herself. 

"Do you feel remorse for your actions, Ryan?" 

"Yes, I feel horrible about all of it." 

"What do you plan to do when you get out?" 

"I want to play with my daughter. I want to take her to the beach and teach her to surf. I want to be the mother I haven't be able to be for her because I'm in here." Ryan said with tears in her eyes. She wanted more then anything to get out of this place and be with her little Scrappy… her little Kat. 

"Alright, you are dismissed, Ryan. We will let you know if we are still going to allow you to be released today or not in about an hour." 

With that said, Ryan left the room. She knew it was up to the board now, and she only hoped they would let her out this time. At least she kept her cool this time. Some people thought she got off easy for her crimes. She only had to spend time in a cushy mental hospital instead of a prison. If she had going to prison, she probably would have been out by now. Every time she would meet with the board the doctors would find some reason to keep her in. She not only had to face a parole board, but she had to face the doctors. Doctors kept her in this place and away from her daughter. They said she was delusional; maybe they were right. 

She sat in her room away from the rest of the patients. Ever since Cara and Jamar had gotten out, she didn't want to socialize with anyone. They came by and visited her, and would bring little Kat with them. She hated the thought of her daughter having to come to this place just to see her Mother. They have to let me out this time, Ryan thought. 

"Hey girl, good news. They are going to let you out!" Jamie one of the orderlies told her. " They want you to have a physical and then they are going to make you sign some papers. You should be done by the time Cara gets here with Kat." 

**Le Fae**

**_~The Present~_**

Maria typed furiously as she did another story. Unlike the others, she used her experiences on another world to fuel her creativity. She created her own superheroine called, "The Invisible One" on a comic for a small time press. 

"How's it going, Maria?" her boss Rob asked. 

"I'm almost done." 

"Good." 

She kept on typing. Suddenly, a strange feeling went over her like a warm wave. A strange familiar feeling. 

"Hey, Maria." Rob said as he reentered. "MARIA?!" 

"Yeah?" Maria asked as she stopped. 

"M-Maria... I hope I'm just hallucinating." 

"What do you... mean?" Maria asked as she looked down at her hands to realize that they have became transparent. "Oh boy." 

**Maria Cline**

**_~Jonas and Sammi's Loft~_**

Jonas came into the kitchen, and sighed. "Well, I guess the Honeymoon is over..." he said and looked disappointedly at Sammi. 

Sammi frowned... "Great, I forgot... Damn." 

Jonas hugged her from behind and kissed the back of her head. 

"I'll call Alex and tell his to cancel the flight." with that, Jonas walked out from the kitchen again. 

"Honeymoon?" Gambit asked, and grinned at Sammi. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

"Hello, it's Jonas... Alex, something has come up, can you cancel the flight?" 

Jonas turned on the monitor of his computer. 

"Oh, it's nothing important, really. But we have to sort it out first before the Honeymoon. What? No, nothing is wrong." 

"Btw, do you have the latest reports on the new X-men FX?... Great! Give me the cell phone number of the lead writer... It should be in there..." 

He typed the number into his computer. 

"Thanks Alex, now you be sure to get Spielberg's signature for Indy 4... Well, if he think ILM can do it better, show him what we can do... come on, ILM is OLD news." 

"Alex, you're the man... yeah I'll tell her... Thanks again, what would I do with out you." 

Jonas huge up the phone and smiled. He and Alex had started "Imagine Image" shortly after he had come back, developing a new 3D animation method. They quickly grew in size to one of the biggest FX company around. After they received an Oscar for Best FX, they quickly became the hottest around. 

He looked at the Wedding photo on the desk... he still could not fully believe it. But it was true, they were married... his mind was snapped back in to the real world as Sammi came into the room. 

"What was that about her cell phone number?" 

Jonas started a tracking program on his computer and quickly located where Amanda was... he was lucky Amanda's work phone was not unlisted. 

"Look, Amanda still believes that it was a dream, right? Well, even if her power is coming back like all of yours, she might not know how to handle herself if someone tries to get to her." 

"Jonas..." Sammi put a finger on his chest. "Don't EVEN think about it, I know that ever since your memory came back, you have had all of your dragon abilities. But you've rarely used them and we agreed on that... didn't we?" 

"Look Sammi, she might be in trouble, we have to make sure. I love you, but we have to protect each other. I'm the only one that is ready to use any of my powers yet. I'm only going to make sure they are ok, alright? No one will see me." 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Cara came into the room a short moment after Sammi. The glass door was open... Sammi looked irritated. 

"That stubborn... if he gets hurt, I'm going to kill him!" 

**Admiral**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda had enter the building where Maria worked, when a strange sensation came over her. Carefully she entered the elevator to take her to the top floor, when it hit her. In one moment her mind was flooded with a million images. She screamed from the overload, when she heard someone tell her to relax and go with the flow. As she relaxed, her mind was able to take it in and she had her powers under control. When she turn to thank the man, she gasped in shock. 

"Scott!" Amanda exclaimed. 

"It's good to see you again, though I would have preferred to see you at the mansion." he replied with a wry grin. 

"You're real! I wasn't dreaming!" 

"No, you weren't. I wish I was. Do you know how many people have asked for my autograph? They think I'm a T.V. star on..." 

"The X-men. I know. I write for the show, and the actor bares a similarity to you." 

"You write for what?!" 

"Yeah, but don't watch the show. You wouldn't like all the near death scenarios I put you guys in." 

"I'll take it under advisement. Where are we?" Scott asked. 

"We are going to see Maria, and we'd better do it soon. If I got my powers back, then that means so has she... and if she screams..." 

Before Scott could reply, the elevator opened and both stepped out to be greeted with the full force of a sonic scream. Both covered their ears. As they looked up, they could see a massive group of people running towards them. 

Scott looked at Amanda and said, " I think we're in trouble." 

**A.C.**


	2. Chapter Two

Title: Welcome To Reality  
Authors: AC, Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel Characters belong to Marvel Comics. All non-Marvel Characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome To Reality-Chapter Two**

**_~Flashback, About Three Years Previous~_**

Cara stood looking in the mirror as she brushed her hair. She couldn't believe that it had been one year since she met Jamar and Ryan in the Crestwood Hospital. Cara shuddered...it had been such an awful place, she never wanted to go back, for any reason. But here she was, getting ready to do just that... She was glad that it was under better circumstances. She smiled as she thought of the reason. Cara put down her brush and walked over to the dresser to pick up her car keys. 

She paused in front of the pictures that were arranged on the top. There was one of her with Jamar and Ryan, on the day she and Jamar had been released from the hospital. Ryan looked so sad, Cara hated to leave her there. But they wouldn't let Cara stay...there was nothing she could do. 

Cara sighed and picked up her car keys, then she walked out of the bedroom and across the hall to the nursery. Little Kat was snuggled up under her covers, pretending to be asleep. Cara smiled. She knew better. 

"Little Kat, are you awake?" she asked the little sometimes-angel. 

"No." came the little one's reply. 

"Really? Oh, I guess that means you won't be able to go with me to pick up your mother... she's getting out today, you know." 

Kat immediately opened her eyes and sprang out of her covers...holding out her little chubby arms and demanding to be picked up. 

Cara laughed, and picked her up out of the crib. The little girl was only a few months old, but she looked and acted a lot older. She was more of a toddler than a baby, really. Cara smiled, the little girl had grown so much, her mother Ryan would be so proud. 

Cara brushed the little girl's hair... and for once, Kat didn't even struggle. She was so happy to be going to see her Mommy, and Cara was so happy to be bringing Ryan out of that horrible place. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Ryan had finished signing most of the necessary paperwork, and was now standing in the foyer waiting for them to bring the final release paper, and for Cara to arrive with little Kat. She began to pace. Why aren't they here yet...I hope they get here soon, she thought worriedly. 

The fact that she was finally getting out seemed so much like a dream. Ryan wanted to get out of there before someone woke her up, or told her that it was all a mistake, and that she had to stay there even longer. 

Ryan looked out the window once more, and saw it. The little beat_up blue car that Cara drove... Ryan was ecstatic. They were here, they were finally here! 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Cara quickly parked the car, pulled little Kat out of the carseat, and ran inside the building with Kat in her arms. When she saw Ryan, she grinned, and stood Kat upon the floor. 

Kat smiled up at her Mommy, and in motions that would melt the coldest heart, little Kat carefully walked across the floor straight to her Mommy's arms. 

"Mommy! Mommy, mommy, mommy Mommy!" she chattered excitedly as her mother bent to pick her up. 

The receptionist brought the final form, which let the world know that Ryan was indeed a sane woman...then Ryan was free to leave. She held her breath as she, Kat and Cara walked out of the building, to freedom. 

**Rainfall**

**_~The Loft, Present~_**

Sammi walked into the kitchen and looked at Gambit. 

"You OK, petit?" He asked, seeing that she was upset. 

"I'll be fine." She continued to look at him, then slapped her forehead and said, "Oh no. If you're here, then where's my father?" 

Cara came into the room and heard what Sammi said. She came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine." She said reassuringly. 

"Oh, I know he's probably fine, but what about the person he drops in on?" Sammi said, looking at her. 

"Guaranteed, whoever he drops in on will be calling as soon as he does. I'm going to run and get some pizza, but I have to get my keys first." Cara said, heading out the door. 

She stopped when she got to Jamar and on a concealed link said, _/Watch Sammi until Jonas gets back. Remember her other power./ _

_/How could we forget./_ Jamar said with a wink. Cara kissed him and went out the door. 

**jubilee_79**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

By the time Amanda and Scott got to Maria's office, the building was clear of anyone else. Upon entering the room, neither of them saw Maria, but both saw Hank. He had both hands over his ears, trying to get the ringing out. They could understand the feeling. When they approached, Hank smiled at them both. 

"At last, hospitable people. How are you, Amanda?" he asked. 

Amanda smiled and replied telepathically, _/Fine, except I'm a mutant again./_

"I see." replied Hank. 

"Where is Maria?" asked Scott. 

"I assume she is here somewhere. I suddenly appeared here and saw Maria. When she saw me, I think my appearance startled her and she.." 

"We heard." replied Scott and Amanda. 

"I'm sorry." replied a quiet voice from behind. 

Scott, Hank, and Amanda turned to see Maria appear from behind. Both Scott and Hank were surprised to find that Maria appeared to be older, like Amanda. Scott turned towards Amanda with questions in his eyes. 

_/I know you both have questions, but we have to leave before the cops come and we have to explain what happened. I don't think they will believe us./_

All three nodded. Amanda telepathically contacted Cara who was on her way to get pizza. 

_/Cara, is there something you might want to tell me?/ _

**A.C.**

**_~Athena's House~_**

Athena let the hot stream of the shower wash all her tension away. She was going to have a whole evening all to herself, to do whatever she wanted. She sighed and turned of the water. Grabbing her bathrobe off the hook and wrapping it around her, she stepped out of the shower. When she looked up, she screamed. Logan grimaced and covered his ears. 

"What are you doing here? Do you honestly think my bathroom is open house? Are you crazy?" Athena shrieked. Then suddenly, she threw her arms around him in a big hug. "I'm so happy to see you! Hey, is Bobby here too? Does Sammi know you're here?" 

"One question at a time darlin'. You know you gotta good set of lungs on ya?" Logan smiled. "I ain't seen the popsicle, so I wouldn't know. I don't guess Sammi knows. Do ya have her number? Can we call her?" 

"Sure," Athena smiled as she walked downstairs to her study. She quickly found the number to Sammi's San Francisco loft, and dialed it. Jamar answered the phone. 

"Hi, Jamar, this is Athena. You won't believe who showed up in my bathroom." Athena said. 

_flame_

**_~The Loft~_**

"Athena, with everything that's happened today I'd believe almost anything." 

_"What's wrong, Jamar?" _

"Nothing really. Sammi just had an unexpected visitor drop in. So, now that we've got that outta the way, who do you have in your bathroom?" 

_"Hmmm...well he's kinda hairy, short, long nails and an attitude."_

"Hey Sammi! Dad's over at Athena's place." 

"That's great. Ask her to bring him over." 

"Uh...Athena, we need you to bring dad over as soon as you can. Something big is going down. Cara will be here soon with Amanda and Maria. And from the telepathic message she sent Cara, I don't think she's happy." 

_"Alright, Jamar. I'll see you guys in a while."_ Athena says before hanging up. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

_/It would be a whole lot simpler if I could just like port everyone here./ Jamar telepathically says to Sammi. _

/Uh...bro,' you remember that old movie "The Fly"?/ 

/Yeah, so?/ 

/Remember what happened to the monkey? Well, you haven't used those 'port powers of yours in almost five years./ 

/I gotcha sis, I'll just work on it a bit then./ 

Jamar begins to concentrate on teleporting a glass of juice from the kitchen to the den. 

"I would listen to her, 'First One'." 

This startles Jamar enough that the juice appears on the couch, with the glass appearing on the table. 

/'First One'? Wait a minute, only one person calls me that./ He thinks, as he turns to stand face to face with Zeklos; a being he had thought long gone from his mind. 

"Yo, Sammi, I think I'm going nuts." 

"Don't worry, 'First One', it's only shock." 

Sammi runs in to see Zeklos standing beside Jamar. 

"Uh Oh, more guests." 

**Chaos**

**_~Athena's House~_**

"Logan, we're going to San Fransico." Athena said. 

"Great darlin', where are we now?" he asked. 

"Nashville. Look, I have to make a little stop before we head to the airport. I hope you don't mind." Athena said while packing. 

"Won't take long, will it? I really wanna see my kids." Logan beamed. 

Athena walked over and put a hand on Logan's shoulder. "I know," she smiled. "But if you're here, then there's a possibility Bobby is as well. And I think he'll want to see his kids too." Athena hugged the astonished Logan. "They are sleeping over at a friends tonight. We'll just swing by and pick them up in the way to the airport." 

**flame**

**_~The Loft~_**

Sammi looked at Zeklos and says, "Join the party." Just then the phone rings. "Now who showed up?" Sammi says as she went to answer the phone. 

"Grand Central Station." She says. 

_"Sammi? Is that you?"_ The voice on the line asks. 

"Yeah, it's me Teb. What's up?" 

_"I think somethings going on."_

"Why? Did you get your powers back, or did and X_Men drop in on you?" 

There was a pause then, _"You Know?"_

"Yep, I got a Cajun in my kitchen this morning." 

_"Remy's there. Has Angelo showed up?"_

"No Not yet, I don't think." 

_"Well, the professor's here."_

"Good. Bring him over quick. Cara went to get Amanda and Maria. And I think Amanda's pissed." 

_"In that case, I'll be there as soon as I can."_ Teb said as she hung up the phone. 

Sammi hung up the phone and turned to Jamar and said," Well, I think the crisis with Amanda can be avoided." 

"How?" Jamar asked. 

"Teb drew the Professor." Sammi said with a smile on her face. 

**jubilee_79**

**_~Nashville~_**

Athena sped hurriedly through traffic on the way to the airport. Logan sat in the passenger seat, and Robbie and Mac sat buckled in the back seat sleeping. The car was quiet until suddenly it shook with a slight thud. Athena blinked and thought she must have hit a pot hole. 

That's when she heard, "Cute kids, sugah." 

She glanced in the rear view mirror to see Rogue sitting between the boys. Athena reached for her cell phone. 

"Hi, Jamar, Athena again. We're on our way to the airport now. Tell Jonas, his Momma's with us." 

**flame**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Cara was driving over to the pizza place when suddenly she heard, /Cara, is there something you might want to tell me?/ the stern voice of Amanda said inside Cara's head. The voice startled Cara, and she had to swerve to miss another car. She pulled off to the side of the road. 

/Amanda, was that you?/ she asked. 

/Yes, it was...now, would you please tell me what's going on?/ Amanda answered. 

/Sammi and Jonas have a visitor...Gambit dropped in on them this morning. And, as you already know, we are all getting our powers back. I "accidently" blew up Sammi's toaster. So, what happened on your end? I'm getting some strange vibes from you./ Cara said as she grinned. 

/Maria and I both have a couple of "visitors" as well...Cyclops ended up with me, and Beast ended up with Maria./ Amanda replied. 

Cara was about to answer, when suddenly she felt a strange chill in the air. She looked through the windshield of her car up at the sky, and noticed a rather familiar sight... one that she hadn't seen in almost five years. It was a swirling, glowing vortex. 

Suddenly, a tall screaming figure appeared through the mouth of the vortex, falling to the ground with incredible force. It was followed by a smaller screaming figure, which landed on top of the first figure. 

"OOF! OUCH!!! Hey, Jubes, do you think you could land any HARDER next time? I think I actually have a couple of ribs still intact..." said Robert Drake, Iceman of the X-Men. 

"Sure thing, Popsicle...anything you say..." Jubilee grinned wickedly as she prepared to jump on him again. She was stopped by the sound of laughter, and she looked over to see where it was coming from. 

Jubilee's eyes got big and round when she saw who was laughing. "CARA! Is that You? Oh my heck...I thought you were dead! Does that mean the others are alive too?" 

Cara, still grinning from ear to ear, ran over to Jubilee and gave her a hug. 

"Yeah, we're all still alive and kickin'...boy, I'm sure glad to see you two..." she said as she helped Bobby stand up. "And I know a couple or four people who will be extra glad to see you both as well...but first things first, we're gonna have a lot of people to feed, so I'm taking you two with me to the pizza place." she finished, as she began pulling them both to the car. 

"PIZZA? COOL!" Jubilee said excitedly, as she jumped in the front passenger seat. Bobby slid into the backseat, being extra careful of his sore ribs. Funny, Cara seemed older than she should be...he wondered why. 

/Amanda, Jubilee and Bobby just dropped in on me. We're on our way to pick up the pizza, and then I really think we should all meet at Sammi's and sort everything out.../ Cara sent a message to Amanda as she pulled back onto the road. 

/Jamar, luv, please tell Athena and Sammi that I have Bobby and Jubilee with me. I'm sure they will both be pleased. By the way, how many pizzas do you think I should get for this crowd?/ she asked. 

**Rainfall**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Jonas was exhilarated; in the last 4 years he had only been able to do this about three times... glad that there was some cloud cover around so he could fly without being detected... but who would be looking for a Dragon flying through the sky anyway? 

Suddenly, he smelled something funny and looked in front of him... a vortex? It was about a 100 meters in front of him, a flash later someone came falling out of it. The figure was screaming some rather obscene words. Jonas saw who it was a split second later... Cable!!! 

Jonas turned straight down, folding his wings and streamlining himself to fall faster. 

"Got you!" Jonas roared out in a deep voice as he grabbed Cable with his back legs, and aimed his flight path for the building where Amanda had entered. 

**_~The Loft~_**

"Now, would you tell Gambit about this Honeymoon of yours?" Gambit said with a grin. 

Someone knocked on the door. Sammi opened it knowing instinctively who it was... but was greeted by a smoking object being held by Logan. 

"Yours?" Logan said, and handed the rather fried toaster to Sammi. 

Sammi looked confused for a moment holding the toaster. The she smiled and threw the toaster over her shoulder, almost hitting Jamar, and gave Logan a bear hug. 

"Hi dad." Sammi said, not letting go. 

Logan hugged her back hard, and didn't say anything. 

As they both let go, Logan looked into her eyes... "Honeymoon?" Sammi only grinned. 

**_~The Roof of Maria's Workplace~_**

Jonas let Cable down and landed, turning himself back into a human. He took his bag and started to get dressed. 

"Jonas?" Cable looked around... "Thanks, but where the hell am I? I thought you all died?" 

Jonas smiled as he put on his jacket, and pulled out a small box. "We are all alive... and it's a long story... let's pick up Amanda and Maria and get..." 

Suddenly they heard a scream and Jonas fell over in pain, his sensitive ears almost breaking over the sound. 

He quickly put the contacts in, blinking to make sure they were in correctly, and his eyes looked normal. 

"I usually wear sunglasses, but they don't go well with a suit. This takes away about 40% of my vision. Now, lets get Amanda and Maria out of there before the cops come... and put that GUN away!" 

A minute later, Jonas and Cable were looking at Amanda, Cyclops, Maria and Beast. Everyone seemed rather surprised. 

After a second, Beast asked, "May I ask that we continue this at another place... I hardly think that WE could be easily explained." 

Jonas looked at Amanda and grinned; they both had a hand in the X-men TV series, and this would not be that hard... would it? 

**_~The Loft~_**

Sammi held up her hand and grinned wide... 

Logan dropped his jaw... a sniff later, he could smell exactly who was the other half. He hadn't liked him as her boyfriend... and he already hated him as her husband. He was about to object, but was pushed hard out of the way as Rogue grabbed Sammi's hand. 

"Married?" she beamed as she examined the ring closer. 

Sammi suddenly realized that Rogue was not wearing gloves, and was touching her skin... 

"Rogue... your power?" 

Rogue smiled... "Jonas left me a gift... I'll tell you later... where is he?" 

**Admiral**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Cara, Jubilee and Bobby had just loaded the pizzas into the trunk of the car, when suddenly... 

~ZZSSSSSSAAAAPPPPCREAAAAACK!!!~ a huge crackling sound was heard overhead, followed by a shout and a long stream of swearwords all spoken in Spanish. 

Cara and Jubilee jumped out of the way, just in time...for Angelo Espinoza suddenly appeared from another vortex, and landed directly on Bobby. 

"Hey, thanx for breaking my fall, popsicle!" Ange said, grinning as Jubilee pulled him to his feet. 

"don't mention it..." Bobby said in a rather tired voice. 

Cara stifled a smile as she bent to help Bobby up, and helped him back into the car. 

"Well, good news for you, Bobby, is that Hank is here as well. When we get back to Sammi's, he can check you over." Cara said. 

She turned and grinned at Ange. "I know that Teb will be very happy to see you...she is also on her way to Sammi's. Hop in, and we'll be there shortly." 

Jubilee ran around to the front passenger side and jumped in. "Ha! I call dibs!" she said. 

Ange didn't mind, he was preoccupied with the wonderful thought that he would be seeing Teb again. He got into the back seat, and said, "What're we waiting for? Let's go!!!" 

Cara started the car and peeled out of the parking lot, much to the dismay of Bobby, who was once again rubbing his sore ribs. 

"Oh, sorry, Bobby...I'll go a little slower. I know that Athena wouldn't like it if..." 

The rest of what Cara was going to say was interrupted by Bobby's shout of, "Athena is going to be there? Why didn't you tell me? Drive faster!" 

**Rainfall**

**_~The Loft~_**

Ryan was freaking out, she couldn't deal with this anymore. She needed to get out. "Hey, I need to go pick Kat up. I'll be right back." she said, and quickly walked out the front door. Jamar came after her. "Ryan, I don't think you should go alone... do you want company?" 

"No thanks, Jamar. I really need to go alone, but thanks for the offer." 

Ryan walked down the street to Cara's friend Cindy's house. She wanted to pick up Kat and run as far away as she could... but she knew she couldn't do that. When Ryan got to the house, Kat was playing outside with Cindy's daughter, Alara. The girl was older then Kat, but Kat looked older then her age. It was weird for Ryan at first to deal with a 4 year old who was taller then most 8 year olds. Most other kids stayed away from Kat because of this. Alara was different. She liked Kat, and always made her feel special. 

"Mommy!" Kat yelled, and ran to her mother's side. "Alara and I made mud pies!" 

Ryan smiled at her daughter, giggling at the sight of her covered in mud. "That's good, sweet heart... but we have to go home now. We have company." 

"Alright. Bye Bye Alara!" 

"So, Scrappy girl... what else did you do today?" 

"Well, I met this funny looking man who had eyes just like mine, Mommy! He growled at me and walked away. He didn't look too friendly, Mommy." 

Ryan's face fell at what her daughter told her. Her mind drifted back to the last day she saw anyone who had eyes like her daughter. Victor had tried to kill her, but then he was killed. It couldn't be him, she thought. 

"What's wrong, Mommy?" 

**Le Fae**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Hunting down Sabertooth was not as easy as Amanda had thought. She could vaguely pick up his psychic signature, and could sense hostility from him, but that was about it. Amanda had used her powers to create a psychic staff and held it in a defensive position, keeping her senses sharp. A part of her cursed herself for not informing the others on where she was going, which meant there was no back up. 

"They'll figure I'm gone soon." she whispered to herself. I'll probably be dead by then, she thought. 

Amanda heard a noise behind her, and pulled up her staff just in time to block the claws swiping at her. She flipped back in time to see Sabertooth behind her. He didn't look too happy to see her. I hate it when I'm right, she thought. 

"Well, if it isn't chrome-dome's girlfriend." sneered Victor. 

"Well, if it isn't Scooby Doo. What's wrong, did someone forget your Scooby Snack?" Amanda replied. 

Sabertooth sneered, and Amanda realized that that may have not been the best thing to say. As Sabertooth charged her, Amanda prayed she had enough mastery of her power to save herself. She also hoped that someone would realized she was missing and come to help her, because she knew she was in hot water if they didn't. 

**A.C.**

Amanda tried to scan Sabretooth's mind to find out why he was attacking her. She suddenly realized what was wrong. It's all off, she thought. Sabretooth's memories where completely wrong. He didn't remember the love he shared with Ryan, and in fact, a deep hate for Ryan was all she could find. 

There was no reason for him to hate her, but for some reason he did. In fact, most of the memories he had of Vision X were wrong. He didn't have any memories of his time at the mansion, only his battles with them. Suddenly, it hit Amanda. Sinister must have deleted his memories and replaced them with hate for the group, Amanda thought. At that moment, Amanda knew she was in big trouble. 

**Le Fae**

_/DUCK./_ Someone screamed in her mind. Amanda followed the movement with instinct... instinct she didn't know she had. 

Ducking, counter-blocking, movement fitting that of a master fighter... at last she saw the movements she was making were because of... 

"THANAGAR!" She yelled out, and smashed her staff across Sabertooth's jaw with a force that sent him flying to the side. 

_/Careful, fair lady... you wish not to hurt the animal... only stop it, that is our way. Never forget that./_ Azmaru's silvery voice shimmered in to focus. 

_/But don't let your guard down!/_ Thanagar shouted to her as Sabertooth launched at her again... 

Amanda blocked him, driving the staff into his gut, making him gasp for air... then she quickly slammed him across the head... but this time he didn't stop... but grabbed her across the neck. 

"Nice try, frail... never thought you'd have it in ya." he brought one clawed finger up to her neck. "I guess I have to kill ya real slow..." Creed's smile disgusted her. 

"Never, you filthy animal!" Amanda grimaced and ran her entire mind into his as a wedge, giving all she had... she broke it open, and Creed screamed. 

Amanda gasped as Creed grabbed her by the shoulder with his other hand and drove all five claws into it. She fell to her knees still trying to knock him out telepathically... she was slowly losing consciousness, it had been so long. 

"Can't... keep... this up... Frail..." Creed said, and grabbed at her shoulder harder. 

"But I can, she is in you mind... I AM PART OF IT!" A telepathic version of Thanagar grabbed and flung Creed back away from Amanda. As the connection was broken, Thanagar faded away... but Creed knew when to skip out of a fight. 

"Later, frail..." He said, and ran away. 

Amanda could feel her mind drift into darkness... and called for the only person she knew would hear her now... 

"Charles..." 

**Admiral**


	3. Chapter Three

Title: Welcome To Reality  
Authors: AC, Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel Characters belong to Marvel Comics. All non-Marvel Characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome To Reality-Chapter Three**

Amanda was in pain. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know if anyone had heard her call. She was slowly losing consciousness. She needed help, and in a bad way. Right now, any help would be appreciated. 

"You are a brave woman to have taken on Sabertooth. Either that, or very stupid." stated Magneto. 

"You are not supposed to be here. You're not an X-men!" exclaimed Amanda. 

"Thank God for small miracles. From your expression, I have this feeling that you know what is going on. It would be in my best interest to help you." Stated Magneto. 

"Right now I could use any help I could get. You better realize right now that I know the X-men. I actually dated Charles, and... why did I just say that?" Amanda faltered. 

"Probably because you are in a great deal of pain. I would be doing the same thing if I just got man-handle by Sabertooth." stated Eric. 

Eric helped Amanda to a bench and checked her injuries. He determined that none were life threatening, but she was losing a lot of blood. He tore at his cape to make bandages to put pressure on the ruins. Amanda tried not to scream or cry from the pain. 

"I'll give you some time before we move. You can tell me where I am and how you know Charles Xavier." stated Magneto. 

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you. The story is long and confusing." stated Amanda. 

Eric sat down beside Amanda and smiled, "I have the time. I'm actually interested in how you and Xavier met. You don't seem his type." 

"Really. Do explain." 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

It had been a long day for Leilee. First there was the early morning practice for the new Britney Spears video she was choreographing. Then she'd had to run to the studio. She was guest starring as Shadowcat in the new X-men show. It was a #1 hit. 

::Note to self. Thank Amanda for helping me get the part.:: 

It was 10:30, and she wanted to go home and sleep, but she had to get to Sammi's and Jonas' house. She hadn't been able to make the wedding, but she had gotten them a gift. Something they would be able to use. Namely, Baby stuff. 

She smiled softly at that thought. When she had gotten back, she had discovered that she was pregnant, but had miscarried 2 months later. She never told anyone. But that was then, and this is now. 

As she drove towards Sammi's she felt a chill in the air. She started to turn up the heat when she heard a familiar voice shout out. She stopped the car in the middle of the street and turned around. Sitting in her back seat was Jamie Maddrox. 

"Holy Crap!" 

Jamie stared up at her. "Leilee?" 

Leilee took a deep breath and sighed. "Hold on a sec." she said as she reached for her cell phone and dialed someone. "Hi, Cara? The Yous are here..." 

**Leilee**

**_~Flashback, Three Years Ago~_**

The glowing light subsides and Hope looks around to see where she is, still holding onto Athena. She finds herself in a house, right next to a warm fire. A tall figure in a dark cloak moves over and greets her. 

"Hello Hope, I am Ymela. Here, let me take Athena, you look very tired, so why don't you sit down and rest for awhile." 

Hope nods and lets Ymela take Athena. She didn't know why but she trusted this lady. Hope sits down in the comfortable chair, weary from all that happened, her eyes close and she drifts off to sleep. 

_**~*~*~*~*~*~**_

Athena finds herself walking down a pathway in a beautiful garden, she admires the beauty and serenity of it.. Not too far off is a bridge that spans a clear stream, its babbling water creating a soft melody as it goes over the mossy rocks. Athena feels drawn to the bridge, and the garden on the other side more lovely than the one she is in. On the other side are people; she recognizes two of them being her grandmother and grandfather. They smile at her and beckon her to come across and join them. 

Athena, feeling happy and without pain, takes a step onto the bridge... then she hears a voice. 

"Athena, please stop!" 

Athena stops and turns to look. There she sees Hope and another woman hurrying to catch up with her. 

"Please don't go...." Hope asks, " I didn't get to say goodbye, and I don't want to say goodbye either. I know that it is your decision, but I don't want you to die. We never got a chance to be friends, and I want that chance." 

Athena looks over at Hope and at the woman accompanying Hope, then she looks over at her grandparents beckoning to her. Her grandparents loved her and she always felt important to them. She takes another step onto the bridge. 

Hope begins to cry, "Oh please, Athena, don't leave!" 

The woman with Hope puts a hand on Hope's shoulder to comfort her, then moves over to Athena. 

"You may want to reconsider about leaving. Not only will your death make others feel great sorrow, but there are two other factors that you do not know about." The silvery haired woman with silver eyes motions with her hand, and Athena sees two children appear beside her. 

Athena looks at her and asks, "Who are these children... and for that matter, who are you?" 

The lady smiles, her smile lighting up her lovely, gentle face. 

"My name is Ymela, and these two beautiful children are yours and Bobby's." 

"M-Mine and Bobby's??? I told Bobby that I was pregnant in my goodbye message.. but twins???" 

Her voice trembles a bit and she goes to look at the children closely. Sure enough, she could see some of her own features, as well as Bobby's... especially their eyes. The children smile at her and then they throw their arms around her. 

"Mommy... please don't go, we want to live and be cuddled in your arms..." they whisper into her ears. 

Athena's eyes fill with tears as she holds her children close to her. 

Athena looks up at Ymela. "But I thought that I was dead, so how can I go back?" 

Ymela gently touches her shoulder. "This is what you would call the time for decision. The path leading to the bridge was just the journey. Once you cross that bridge, your time on Earth will end, as well as these children.. You are with child my dear, and these little ones are whom you are carrying within you. They wanted a chance to plead with you to not die." 

Athena looks at them, then back at the bridge, then back to Ymela. 

Hope moves over to her as well. 

"I want you to stay... but I will abide by your decision, but I think that it won't be fair for you to go and not let me have a chance to be your friend. I remember you saying hello to me when I woke up from my injuries, I'm just sorry that I fell back into unconsciousness before I had the chance to go find you. I had strained myself when I poured my energies to give hope to you and the others.... I want to be able to repay you for your kindness." 

"I didn't think that anyone even cared about me or that they would miss me. I just wanted to make certain that they didn't have to worry about the minions while they battled Sinister." replies Athena. 

"Well Athena that is where you are wrong. You and your gentle soul and loving heart would be greatly missed." replies Ymela. "You are needed but I can not tell you exactly in what way.. besides the obvious, you will find out whom you really are." 

Ymela smiles at the two children clinging to Athena for dear life and at Hope. 

Athena looks once more at her family on the other side then at the loving group that is near her. She makes up her mind and says, 

"All right, I choose to live. I don't want these two precious children to lose their chance to live and perhaps to change the world . Plus I don't want to make the others sad, at losing me" she smiles gently over at Hope. 

Hope smiles as well as Ymela and the children . Athena gives them a hug. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Athena remembers her dream when she wakes up from her coma two weeks later, at first not knowing where she was. The doctors had mentioned that she had been brought to the emergency room after being found unconscious in the waiting room. The doctors were glad that she had woken up, they were concerned about her. She felt glad to be alive. 

**Dreamweaver**

**_~The Present, Sammi's Building~_**

Ryan held her daughter's body closer to her. She didn't want to let her go and was near hysterics. She loved Victor deeply still, and the thought of him really being alive should have relieved her. In fact most would think she would be out looking for him. It's just the fact that the last memory Ryan had of the man she loved, the father of her child, was when he tried to kill her. 

"Ryan, talk to me, what's wrong?" Jamar asked, concern echoing in his voice. 

"Mommy started acting funny after she picked me up, Unca Jar Jar. Did I do something bad?" Kat asked of her surrogate uncle. 

"No, of course not Scrappy. Just tell me what you said to Mommy, okay?" 

"I told her that I saw a mean man when I was playing with Alara. He had eyes just like mine, Unca Jar Jar, but he growled at me." 

Jamar suddenly realized what was wrong. Somehow, Sabretooth was back, and that meant trouble. 

Ryan seemed to snap out of her daze, "Where's Amanda?" 

**Le Fae**

**_~The Loft~_**

Sammi looked at Rogue and then back to Wolverine. And telepathically sent, /Rogue, Help!/ 

Rogue caught on and grabbed Sammi into the other room. Sammi walked them to the den and telepathically called to Jonas. /Honey, you better use the door in the den. Dad's in the kitchen./ 

As soon as she said that, the sliding door opened to reveal Jonas. Rogue ran up to him and gave him a big hug. "I'm so happy for you both." Turning to look at Sammi. 

"Thank you. But dad's a little miffed." Sammi said as Jonas came over and hugged her from behind. 

"Don't worry about him. I'll set him straight." Rogue said with a smile. "OK. I want details." 

Sammi looked at Jonas and smiled. She kissed him on the cheek and said, "Go get the album. I want to talk to Rogue for a sec." 

"I'll be right back." Jonas said as he headed for Sammi's studio. 

"What's up? You look worried." Rogue asked. 

Sammi sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her. "Well, let's see. First, don't scream. OK? Promise?" 

"I promise, sugar. What is it?" Rogue asked putting a comforting arm around Sammi. 

"Well, I'm pregnant." Sammi said and looked at Rogue. 

"That's wonderful. What's the problem?" Rogue asked holding Sammi tighter. 

"Jonas doesn't know, yet. I haven't told him because I'm scared I might lose this baby too." Sammi said, trying not to cry. 

"What happened?" Rogue asked, pulling Sammi into a hug. 

"Well, a little while after we got back, I found out I was pregnant, but two months later I lost the baby. Only Leilee knows about the first one. I ran into her after I started to show. She was with me when I had the miscarriage. I'm afraid that it's going to happen again." Sammi said and couldn't help it. She started crying. 

After a few moments Jonas came in the room and found Rogue hugging Sammi and rocking her. He saw that Sammi was crying and rushed to her side. 

"Honey?" He said as he kneeled next to them. 

Sammi turned to him and fell into his arms crying. He held her and rocked her. 

"You need to talk, I'm going to talk to Logan." Rogue said as she kissed them both on the heads and left. 

**_~Rogue and Logan~_**

Rogue stepped out of the study and was met by Logan. He looked like he was going to cry. That's when she knew that he heard. "Come on, Sugar. Let's talk." Rogue said as she led him to the back door and on to the fire escape. 

After they sat down, she said. "You heard." 

"Yep." Was all Logan said. 

"She never told him. I know her, she wanted to spare him the pain." She said as she put her hand on his. 

"I know. I just want her to be happy." Logan said. 

"She is. Jonas makes her happy. And I know she makes him happy. There was a reason they found each other, once. And know they found each other again. They were meant to be together." 

"I know. I trust her. I guess, its just, I'm a little upset that I didn't get to walk her down the aisle. Have you noticed that they all are older? We missed so much." Logan said looking straight ahead at the Bay bridge. 

"I know. We just have to find away to deal with it. So what do you think, Grandpa?" Rogue said with a smile. 

"I can't wait, Grandma." Logan said returning the smile. 

_**~Sammi and Jonas~**_

Jonas was holding Sammi, but her crying had stopped. She was holding on to him for dear life. When she said, "I have to tell you what happened after we got back." 

"Sweety, you already told me." Jonas said, confused. She already told him everything. /What is she talking about?/ He thought. 

"I'm talking about something I couldn't bring myself to tell you before. I didn't want to hurt you. I love you too much to ever want to hurt you." She said pulling back to look him in the eyes. 

He couldn't say anything, The sadness in her eyes had stopped him. He never saw her that sad before. "I love you too. No matter what." He said. 

Sammi cleared her throat and said, "A little while after I got back, I started to get sick. I went to the doctors and he said that I was pregnant. I was so happy. I still had a part of you with me. I ran into Leilee a little while after I started to show. I was going to try and contact you but you weren't on the board and I never knew your address. So Leilee was helping me." She stopped as she took a deep breath and hugged him tighter. 

"About two months later, I had a miscarriage. Leilee was with me. I never told anyone, not even Jamar, when him and Cara moved in." She stopped again as he kissed her. When he broke apart he said, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that without me. But why didn't you tell me?" 

"It was a month to the day that I got your first email. When I found out it was you I was so happy. When I knew your memories were gone, I didn't know how to tell you. Then when you told me about your dream of me, I wanted to be with you and I couldn't bring myself to tell you. I'm telling you know because you need to know. Because I'm pregnant." She said and looked into his eyes. 

**jubilee_79**

_**~*~*~*~*~*~**_

Cara, Bobby, Jubilee and Angelo had just pulled up outside Sammi's loft, when Cara's cell phone rang. 

She pulled it out of her purse, and said, "Hello?" 

_"Hi, Cara? The Yous are here..."_ said the voice of Leilee on the other end of the line. 

"The you's...you mean JAMIE?!! ALRIGHT!!!" Cara said excitedly into the phone. She heard Leilee and Jamie laughing on the other end of the line. 

"Hey, Leilee, where are you?" asked Cara. 

_"We're on our way to Sammi's, we'll be there shortly."_

"COOL! Tell big Bro that a big bear hug is waitin' for him, okay?" 

_"Sure thing...see ya in a few!"_ finished Leilee, and they hung up. 

Bobby, Jubilee and Ange listened to this brief exchange with considerable amusement...they remembered that Cara was notorious for her bear hugs. 

Cara grinned sheepishly as she felt the others laughter, then said, "Come on, you guys...help me carry the pizzas in. We'd better hurry too, because I can feel that Wolverine is hungry." 

They all piled out of the car, grabbed the pizzas and ran into the building. 

_**~*~*~*~*~*~**_

Amanda had just finished giving Magneto a summary of her meeting with Xavier, when suddenly, ~ZSSSSSAAAAAAPPPPPPCCRRRRRRRAAEEEEKKKKKK~ another portal opened up. 

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!" screamed a somehow familiar voice from above, as yet another figure fell. 

Magneto raised his magnetic shield and rushed upwards to catch the falling man. Magneto grinned as he set the young man upon the ground. 

The young man grinned up at Magneto, and said, "Hey, thanks Pop." 

Magneto raised an eyebrow, "What did I say about calling me 'Pop'..." 

"Uh, how 'bout Dad?" 

Magneto raised his eyebrow again, and looked sternly at the young man. 

"Yes, Father..." the young man replied rather sheepishly, then grinned. 

Magneto laughed, then put his arm around the man's shoulder. He turned him around to face Amanda, that's when she saw the man's glowing red eyes, and noticed how familiar he looked. 

"Amanda," Magneto began to say, "I would like you to meet my son...Er-" 

"ARAC!!!" a rather shocked Amanda said in a very shrill voice. 

The young man winced...he hadn't been called that in a while. 

"Yeah, Amanda, it's me...only I don't call myself Arac anymore. I call myself after my new father, Eric Magnus Lensherr, better known to you as Magneto. My name is now Eric II." said Eric jr. 

"Father? How? When...What happened?" asked the rather confused Amanda. 

There was something different about the young man. Amanda thought back to the last time she had seen Arac, now known as Eric jr. She could remember the insane anger and suicidal determination behind that hate-filled face, just before he blew up the island. But for some reason, those torturous emotions were no longer plaguing him... he seemed...sane, and happier somehow. 

Eric jr thought for a moment before speaking. 

"When I blew up the island, I didn't care if I went with it...life had no meaning, no value to me. But, for some reason, I didn't die. I still don't know what happened, but I woke up in the Blackbird, and was flying in some unknown direction. I don't know how long I had been there, or why the aircraft didn't crash while I was unconscious, but for once in my life I felt grateful to be alive. I decided to stay on the course which had been set for me, and to make a long story short, the course led me straight to Magneto. He took me in, and over this past year he has raised me as his son. I still had a lot of anger and issues to deal with, but he helped come to terms with the past, and gave me a reason to live and change for the better. I am very grateful to him." Eric jr finished. 

Magneto looked proudly down at his son. When he had first found him, the boy had reminded him of himself. Hurt by the world and angry, he was determined to end the hate and pain any way he possibly could. Even if it meant destroying the world and everything in it. 

Magneto had felt that way himself, but over the years the fire burned less and less hotly, and Magneto had finally come to terms with his own grief and anger. He still did not fully believe in Xavier's dream...but he wasn't the murderous villain he once was. Magneto had missed the chance to watch his son Quicksilver and daughter Wanda grow up... he felt that he had another chance at being a father with this boy. So, he took on the role of Father, Mentor and Teacher. It had been a tedious, long process, but it was fruitful. The boy had finally found peace. 

Magneto looked at Amanda, she looked like she was about to faint from the blood loss...he decided the best thing to do was to get her to her friends as quickly as possible. Magneto raised his magnetic shield around himself, Amanda and Eric jr, and with Amanda's guidance, flew them in the direction of Sammi's loft. 

**Rainfall**

Ryan scrambled to her feet and ran to the front door. She didn't even realize it at the time, but Amanda had gone out looking for Sabretooth. 

"Ryan, where are you going?" Cara asked as Ryan pushed past her. 

Jamar was right behind her and looked at Cara, "Tooth is back and he's not happy. Ryan thinks Amanda went after him." 

"What!? He'll kill her!" Cara exclaimed. Cara ran after Ryan. 

All that ran through Ryan's mind at the time is that she would never forgive herself if something happened to Amanda. It was her fault that Amanda went after him alone. If she hadn't been so dazed she would have told her not to go or to get someone to go with her. Ryan threw open the door and ran outside; she looked along the street for any sign of Amanda. 

That's when Ryan's heart stopped. She saw Amanda, Magneto and ARAC heading towards her. Ryan was running so fast that when she saw Arac, her body kept moving but her feet didn't. Ryan promptly fell on her butt. She sat on the sidewalk staring wide eyed with terror at the sight before her. 

Cara came out of the house right after Ryan did. At first she didn't notice Amanda or the others. In fact, all she saw was Ryan on her butt. 

"What happened?" Cara asked concerned. 

But Ryan didn't answer her. Cara followed the direction of Ryan's stare and that's when she saw it. Her worst nightmares come true. She still had nightmares about her evil twin, as some would put it. She would wake up in cold sweats at night because of them. Cara gasped in shock, and then fainted for the first time in her life. 

**Le Fae**

Just then, Sammi and Jonas both sensed a strange presence in the air. Jonas and Sammi ran over to the windows, just in time to see three figures flying through the air, headed directly for the Loft. 

Sammi, with her enhanced vision, was the first to recognize Amanda, who appeared to be unconscious. Then she recognized Magneto, and... 

"ARAC!!!" Sammi shouted. 

Everyone in the room turned to look at her. 

"What? What did you just say?" asked a worried Maria. 

"It's Arac, and Magneto...they've got Amanda!" Sammi exclaimed. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Jamar shuddered. /Arac is back...what is Cara going to do? She still has nightmares about that day. She wakes up screaming and crying, because of him. He's bad news./ he thought to himself. 

Jamar narrowed his eyes in anger...Arac had tried to kill Cara before... if he tried again, there would be no stopping Jamar. Cara was his wife, his love, his friend. He'd do anything to protect her. He'd promised himself that, a long time ago. 

**Rainfall**

Jamar came right out behind Cara, just as she fainted away. She landed softly as a tk hold brought her down as if she were a feather. 

Anger boiled off Jamar in waves of barely contained fire. 

"What've you done to Amanda?" 

Energy crackles around Jamar. Ryan looks on in awe as Jamar turns toward her his eyes rippling changing from color to color. 

**Ryan, take Cara and get inside.** 

"What are you gonna do?" She asks. 

Jamar turns, gracing her with a cold and malicious gaze and replies, "You don't wanna know!" 

**_~INSIDE~_**

The hair on the back of Wolverine's neck stands on end making him sheathe and unsheathe his claws. Rogue puts her hand on his shoudler. 

"What's wrong, Shugah?" 

"I don't know, that's what's bothering me." 

"Something's not right." It's like there's psionic static raging around her. Gambit sits looking at nothing, his eyes picking up shifts in temperature. Iceman sits, visibly troubled by the changes. Ryan comes running in supporting an unconscious Cara. Wolverine and the others rush over to help her. Before they can ask what's going on, the sense that something's wrong is confirmed as their senses all scream "OH SH*T!!!" 

A shockwave strikes the building. 

**_

~OUTSIDE~

_**

"**I SUGGEST YOU AND YOUR CHRONIE BACK AWAY FROM AMANDA AND LEAVE NOW!!!**" All thoughts of explaining the situation leave as Magneto is presented with a threat, and an ultimatum. 

"DO YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE ME, BOY?" Magneto says as he begins to rise in his trademark magnetic bubble. 

Jamar only smiles as his eyes flash, and Magneto drops to the ground. A look of confusion crosses Magneto's face as he realizes that Jamar has just negated his magnetic powers by synching with him and powering down. 

"Now that you've quieted down, send the boy over and we'll see if he's learned anything." 

Eric rushes over, only to pass through Jamar and catch a sidekick to his head. Jamar turns, becoming all blades as Eric whirls, charging the street. 

"I hope that got the cocky bastard." 

"Sorry to disappoint you!" Jamar says as he flies outta a portal, and catches Eric across the side with his claws. 

**_

~Inside~

_**

The others rush to the windows to witness World War III. The strange thing is that none of the people on the sidewalk or driving by have seen a thing. Sammi begins to ask, when she catches a sense from her brother. 

/Don't worry sis', crazy doesn't mean stupid./ 

Sammi just burst out laughing. They all turn to regard her with an expression of "what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you". 

"Don't worry guys, Jamar thinks he know's what he's doing." 

"He t'inks he know what he doin'. It look ta Gambit like the boy gonna rip someone a new one." 

A tired voice rings in their heads. **No one's ripping anybody a new anything.** 

_/Jedi! Stand down!/_

_/Okay, but I still don't trust them./_

Eric begins to toss a charged rock, only to find it stopped glowing halfway through it's arc and burns up on Jamar's heat shield. In a stern voice Jamar says, "Let's go in, the others are waiting." not even sparing the two villians, or ex-villians, a glance, he picks up Amanda and enters the house. 

Chaos 


	4. Chapter Four

Title: Welcome To Reality  
Authors: AC, Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel Characters belong to Marvel Comics. All non-Marvel Characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story.  
**_Note:_** This chapter is slightly revised; it now includes a post by Maria_Cline (just after AC's headache post), and Le Fae's last post in this chapter has now been moved to just before AC's. 

**Welcome To Reality-Chapter Four**

"Jamar, out of all of your boneheaded ideas, this one has to be the most stupid!" Jonas grabbed Jamar as he came inside... 

"Did it pop into your head that we happen to be in a well populated area? I don't think a superpower battle would be that smart." Jonas roared angrily at Jamar for starting a battle outside their own house; Magneto and Arac had not acted hostile. 

More then anything, Jonas was angry that he put them all in danger, and for putting Sammi in danger. 

"You still have no self control." He let go of Jamar as Hank took Amanda. 

"Chill out, what was I supposed to do... let them walk right in after this?" Jamar pointed to Amanda. 

"Both of you calm down... or I'll see to that you do." Sammi said in a stern voice. 

"I hope the boy's manners don't count for all of you?" Magneto said as he entered, flanked by Arac. 

"One wrong word out of you, I'll throw you out myself. This is our house... BEHAVE." Sammi said in a tone that made sure that she meant business. 

"Now, tell us, Magneto, how do you explain this..." Cyclops said pointing at Amanda. 

Cyclops was expecting an answer from Magneto, but Logan gave it. "Creed... I hate to say it but our old enemy probably saved her life." 

"Someone can obviously see reason in here after all." Magneto said. 

**Admiral**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Cara was having the nightmare again...first she was in the Hanger, trying to stop Arac from stealing the Blackbird. She screamed as he tried to blow up her head. 

Suddenly the dream shifted, and she could once again feel the pain as Arac was turned to stone, and she began to turn to stone as well. She could feel his desperation and anger, and fear as he was thrown into a deep, dreamless sleep. Cara had felt like a part of her had been closed off right then. 

The nightmare shifted yet again, this time she was on the island. 

Sammi had tried to stop Arac by combining Cara's and his memories and emotions, then splitting them apart again. Because of this, Cara knew what it was like to kill Sabertooth. She watched in horror as Sabertooth was blown up before her eyes, by her. 

The final shift in the nightmare brought Cara face to face with her alternate self. Because of her empathy, she could feel Arac's hate burning through her... and although she tried her best to stop him from blowing up the island, it had been too much for her. She looked at Amanda with desperation in her eyes as she felt herself lose control of the explosive power, then closed her eyes in resignation as the island began to blow. 

Her last thought was that she had done this. If she had learned to control her anger better, none of this would have happened. Because of her, her friends had nearly lost their lives. She blamed herself. 

Just as the island began to blow up in her nightmare, Cara woke up with a scream. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

"Shhhh...Cara, it's alright...it's going to be alright. It wasn't your fault. We're okay." he said as he rocked her back and forth. 

Cara sobbed into his shoulder for a few moments more...then finally quieted. She pulled back and tried to smile, but couldn't. He gently wiped the remaining tears from her cheek, and gently kissed her lips. She smiled then, and kissed him back. 

They pulled away from the kiss, and Jamar noticed that Cara was a little shaky. He saw Bobby standing by the door. 

"Bobby, could you do me a favor? Go downstairs to our apartment and get Cara's pills from off of her dresser... I'd really appreciate it." 

"Sure thing, I'm on my way." Bobby said, as he went out the door. 

Cara took a deep breath, and turned around to face the room. Some of the room's inhabitants were looking worriedly at Cara, others were staring warily at Magneto and...Arac. Cara looked him in the eyes, and realized that he had been watching her. She also realized something else...where there had been no connection before, there was one now. A twin connection. That must have happened when Sammi had tried to stop him back on the island. Arac had seen Cara's nightmares, and was staring horrified at her. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

But he nearly lost it when he saw into Cara's nightmare... what had he done? Eric closed his eyes and covered them with one hand. The pain he'd caused Cara... he didn't know if he could ever make it up to her. And Ryan, he'd killed her boyfriend, Sabertooth. He'd never be able to make up for that. He'd become his own worst nightmare... A killer. 

Magneto had helped him through a lot of it..but now he didn't think it would be enough. He'd never be able to make it up to anyone... why was he even here? 

/I've got to get out of here, now.../ he thought, as he turned and ran for the door. 

"Eric!" shouted Magneto, as he put out one hand to try to stop him. 

Eric didn't get very far... Wolverine jumped in front of him to bar his way. 

"Get outta my way, old man...I'm leaving, and there's nothing that's going to stop me." Eric snarled. He was losing it. Everything that Magneto had done for him was beginning to unravel. He felt like he was really going to lose it, big time. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

"GUYS! WAIT!!!" Cara yelled. She stood shakily up out of Jamar's arms, and began to walk toward her "twin". 

/Arac... Eric, please...calm down. Please. I know...I know what you've gone through, and what you've accomplished with Magneto. Don't let it have been for naught. Please, Eric. Stand down./ she pleaded with him. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

/Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to save me, after all that I've done? I...I'm not worth anything... I should have died./ Eric tells her on their twin connection. 

/There is a time when we each must forgive, and move on. That time is now, Eric... If we don't, it will destroy us all. It will be hard, but please, bear with us... things will get better.. they have to./ Cara finished, as she reached him, and hugged him. 

**Rainfall**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Bobby descended the stairs two at a time. As he neared Jamar and Cara's door, he heard noises. It sounded like giggling. He opened the door just as Robbie and Mac came racing out of the apartment on ice slides. They collided with Bobby, sending all three "icey wonders" crashing to the floor in a tangle of bodies and ice. Bobby sat up and stared wide eyed, just as Athena entered the room. 

"Robbie, Mac, you two get back here now. It's nap time! And I've told you two a million times, no ice slides in the hou..." She stopped when she saw her little "angels" tangled around their father on the floor. 

"Bobby!" Athena squealed, as she raced across the room. 

She helped him up and wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. She didn't know what to say. Suddenly someone was tugging on Bobby's arm. Bobby pulled away from Athena enough to look at the little boy trying to get his attention. 

"So, are you my dad?" Robbie asked. 

Bobby didn't know what to do. He just grabbed the two little boys in a big bear hug, ala Cara. 

"Bobby Drake, I'd like you to meet Robert Ryan and Hank McCoy, your sons." Athena smiled gently, she had waited a long time to see all three of her men together, at last. 

**flame**

**_~Flashback~_**

Hope wakes up to see Ymela smiling at her. 

"I had the strangest dream.. you were in it and so was Athena... Athena! Where is she???" 

"She is all right, my dear daughter, she is in the next room. I'm going to be sending her home very soon, so you'll need to say your goodbyes. She is currently sleeping, but she will live." 

Hope rushes into the room and sees Athena lying there peacefully and looking better. She leans over and gives Athena a kiss on the forehead. 

"Goodnight, Athena... hopefully we will meet each other again." 

She steps back, Ymela then passes her hand over the sleeping Athena and she disappears from view in a sparkling play of lights. 

Hope remembers what Ymela had just said to her before she said goodbye to Athena. 

Turning to Ymela she asks, "Did you call me Daughter?" 

Ymela nods,"Yes I did... you are my daughter, my only child." 

Hope looks at Ymela, her face full of disbelief. 

"How can this be? I don't remember you, least of all this place," Hope says, looking around. 

Ymela sighs, "I know this is difficult to believe, after all you were just a baby when we sent you to what you call now call home. Here, come to the fire and I will show you what happened." 

Hope goes to the fireplace where Ymela passes her hand over the flame, and then she sees a picture in the heart of the fire. 

**_~The Vision~_**

Hope sees Ymela and a man whose hair is much like her own. Ymela and he are very happy, especially because of their little child whom is just a few months old. She sees herself being held and given kisses. It was a regular paradise, with a loving mother, loving father and her. But the little piece of heaven didn't last long. Twisted, distorted creatures invaded the realm of dreams, and a war soon broke out. Hope's father comes in and tells Ymela, 

"We're going to have to send Hope to somewhere safe, the creatures from the nightmare realm are invading. I don't want anything to happen to our precious child." 

"You are certain of this? I don't want to lose our baby... Where will you send her?" Ymela asks. 

"I'll send her to my home, the one that I came from before I found my way here and found you." he replies. 

"If you feel that is the only way, my love, then it will have to be that way...At least I shall be able to watch her even though I won't be able to hold her... except in her dreams and mine." 

Ymela kisses Hope tenderly and wraps her up in a blanket, holds her close, weeping softly while Hope touches her face with her tiny baby hands. 

"Goodbye my darling one... I don't want to let you go, but it is the only way to save you. We shall meet again someday, I know this." She kisses baby Hope once more, then reluctantly lets Hope's father take her. 

Hope's father holds her close to him, not wanting to let her go. 

"Oh my precious little angel, you have brought such joy and hope in our lives. We named you Hope, as that is what you gave us when we realized that you were going to bless us with your presence. We felt a renewal of our hope, a new strength, to keep on fighting our battle against the Nightmares which threaten this world. And now, dear one, we have to send you away for your protection.." 

His voice chokes with deep emotion as tears fall down his cheeks. 

"Malcolm, it is time," Says Ymela, looking out the window, a worried expression on her face. 

Malcolm nods and gently lays Hope into a basket with her blanket. One last kiss from Ymela and Malcolm on her forehead and then Malcolm sends her away to a safe place. 

The adult Hope watches as her father pulls Ymela close to him then they go out to battle against the nightmare forces. She sees them fighting side by side against the dark horde, then her father falls to a nightmarish spear. 

"Run My love!!! Run for your very life!!" He gasps as he falls to the ground. 

Ymela does, tears streaming down her face. From one side of the dreamworld to the next, she is pursued til she gets back to her home island. There she is safe... and can keep the nightmares at bay... She is free to move about on her Island but still captive, not able to use her full powers. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

The vision fades away and she turns to her mother. Ymela stands there looking into the fire, weeping. Hope gives her a hug of comfort. Ymela smiles through her tears at her daughter. 

"I hope you forgive me and your father for sending you away." 

Hope smiles and nods. "I forgive you." 

"Oh I have something to show you." Ymela takes Hope outside to the back of the house. There Hope sees a greenhouse full of various plants. 

"This was your father's, I managed to keep them alive but your father had a magical way with the plants inside. He also has a lab." 

Hope looks inside the greenhouse and sees that the plants needed special care. She also realized that she needed a place to work on her magical talent. Hope looks at her mother and asks, 

"May I stay here awhile?" 

Ymela smiles and nods. 

And so Hope stays there to do work she needs to do and wants to do, looking through her father's notes about various plants some very alien to Earth. Hope makes certain to go back to her home dimension to tell the people who care about her that she will be gone for sometime to do some research, then she stays in the realm of dreams. 

**_~The Present, Dreamrealm~_**

Hope, busy with an experiment with one of the plant extracts she has created, looks up all of a sudden. Ymela is there beside her, a serious look on her face. 

"Hope, your friends need you. Anon is back... plus a certain someone is there as well." 

Hope rubs her eyes and looks at her mother. "How much time has past in Earth Alpha?" 

"Four years, Hope. Time tends to pass by differently here and in the other dimensions." 

"I don't feel like that much time has passed." says Hope, putting away her experiment. 

"Well it has, in the X-men Universe it has only been a year." 

"Oh dear!!! I bet the others that I had been corresponding with, when we ended up in the X-men Universe, are real worried about me." 

"They probably are." replies Ymela. 

Hope gives her a hug."Time for me to go.... Where are they at?" 

Ymela shows her where they are all at. Athena and the twins are at Cara's apartment, Sammi and the rest of Vision X, as well as the X-men, are at Sammi's Loft. Except for Bobby who just arrived at Cara's apartment and is reunited with Athena and their boys. 

Hope decides to pop in on Athena and Bobby. A portal opens up and she steps through into the hall after making certain there isn't anyone in sight. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

There is a knock on the door of Cara's apartment. Athena looks over at Bobby, who is wrestling around with his boys. 

"I wonder who that is?" She walks over and looks through the peep hole to see... Hope!!! 

Athena flings open the door and pulls a smiling Hope inside, giving her a big hug. 

"I can't believe it's you!!! Where have you been? How are you?" 

Hope sits down and tells Athena all that has happened. 

"I am so glad that you are back.."says Athena, once Hope is finished with her tale. 

Hope smiles once again then sits back to watch Bobby and the twins at play. 

As she watches Bobby and the twins, Hope says to Athena, 

"You have such beautiful children, Athena, and I'm glad that you and Bobby are finally reunited. It really makes me very happy." 

Hope plays with the forget me not necklace that Hank had given her before Vision X had gone to do battle with Anon...Hope's eyes flash just a little bit as she think about Anon. Then her mind turns to thinking about Hank and the dream date they had. What would a real date with him be like she wonders. A gentle touch on her knee brings her back from her thoughts, as she sees little Mac looking at her with big eyes. When he has her attention Mac lifts up his arms to be picked up. Hope looks over at Athena in surprise. 

Athena laughs, "Looks like you've been adopted, Auntie Hope." 

Hope smiles and sweeps Mac onto her lap and gives him a hug. Robert decides to get into the action as well and climbs up into her lap as well. Athena giggles and goes over to Bobby giving him a big kiss, while Auntie Hope plays with the kids. Then Athena runs to get the camera to take a picture of Hope and the kids. 

Then Hope takes a picture of Bobby, Athena and the kids together. A nice family picture... at last they are together. 

**Dreamweaver**

**_~The Loft~_**

Kat scrambled to get in her Mommy's lap. She didn't know whom the new people where and she felt a little uneasy around them. She was normally a very outgoing little girl but the tension radiating off of everyone was overwhelming. She could smell it in the air. 

"Mommy, who are all these people?" She asked, trying to make her voice as low as possible so only her Mom could hear. 

"These people are friends honey. A whole bunch of new Aunts and Uncles to play with you." 

"Why is everyone so angry at that guy?" 

"He was confused once. He hurt some people, but he's better now." Ryan said as she eyed Eric wearily. She didn't know if she should hug him or punch him. The man killed Sabretooth, but probably saved her life and the life of her daughter in the process. 

"You're not sure if he's better, are you Mommy?" Kat asked. 

"What makes you say that, Scrappy girl?" Ryan eyed her child quizzically. She had always been smart, so Ryan had to be careful what she said around her. 

"I can smell your fear of him." Kat said simply. 

Ryan looked shocked. She had wondered if Kat would gain any of the powers that she and Victor had, and it now seems that she did. 

"Kid's got Creed's powers, huh? Does she have any of yours?" Logan said, he had overheard the conversation. 

"I don't know. I didn't even know that she had Victors." 

**Le Fae**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Leilee knocked on the Sammi and Jonas's door. Jamie was standing behind her, bouncing around excitedly. She knocked again. "Guys? Open up! It's me, Leilee!" 

The door opened to reveal Ryan and Kat. "Aunt Leilee!!!!!" Shouted Kat as she tackled Leilee. 

"Hello, ma petite chat. Wassup? Can I stand up?" 

Kat stood up and helped her aunt to her feet. "Sorry. Some of Mommy's old friends are here. There's a guy who speaks French too!" 

Leilee smiled. "Really! Who?" 

Suddenly Remy stepped into view. "Bonjour, Cherie." 

All the color drained from Leilee's face. "Oh my lord..." she whispered. 

**Leilee**

Sammi heard the door and smelled Leilee and Jamie. She saw Kat jump on Leilee and came over. She reached down to Kat and said,"Come here, Kit Kat." Sammi was holding Kat in her arms and walked over to Leilee. She placed he hand on her shoulder and said, "Its not a dream. You're lucky, you got Jamie in the backseat of your car. This morning I come into the kitchen and find Gumbo over here," Sammi pointed at Remy,"in my fridge." 

Leilee looked at her and smiled, "Well, at least he didn't throw someone in the lake and then hit the fridge." Leilee noticed that Sammi looked like she had been crying and thought, /She must have told Jonas./ 

Sammi heard her thought and sent back, /Yeah, I told him. About before and now./ 

Leilee gave Sammi a hug and said in her ear, "I can't wait to be called Auntie Leilee some more." 

Sammi pulled away and smiled and said, "Go, He's been getting on my nerves with all his questions about you." The she turned to Jamie and Ryan and said,"Cara's this way. Ryan, I want to talk to you about something." All three walked back to the living room, Sammi was carrying Kat. Leilee and Gambit were left in the kitchen. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Sammi and Ryan walked into the den. 

"So, Kit Kat, You want to play Blues Clues?" Sammi asked the Little girl in her arms. 

"Yep!" Kat said nodding her head very fast. It reminded Sammi of the time she and Logan were in the Kitchen and Leilee came in on a sugar high. 

Sammi put Kat on the chair and put in the cd rom. And as soon as Blues came up, Kat didn't even know they were in the room. 

Sammi pointed to the couch and her and Ryan sat down. She looked at Ryan and leaned over and gave her a hug. Ryan hugged her back and started to cry a little. 

"It's going to be OK. We'll help you in anyway we can. You know I'm always here." Sammi said as she rubbed Ryan's back. 

"Thanks." Ryan said pulling back. 

"Any time." Sammi said holding her hand. "I know what's going on, but tell me how its affecting you. If there's anything I can do, You know I will." 

**jubilee_79**

Ryan couldn't hold it in anymore. She had been trying so hard to be strong for her daughter, but she couldn't hold back the tears. They came gushing like Niagara Falls. She sat there with Sammi for what seemed like an eternity, just crying. Finally her tears slowed to quiet sobs, and she regained control of herself. 

"It's just I'm so confused. I loved Victor so much and I want to be with him so badly. It's just that he tried to kill me and I don't understand why? He loved me, Sammi, I know he did! How could he go from loving me that much and then a few hours later he tries to kill me? And now this whole Arac…errr… I mean Eric thing. I should hate him for killing Victor…. And I should also love him for saving my life. I'm a mixture of emotions and I don't know what to do!" 

"I know this is hard.. I don't understand any of it myself. One thing that does make sense is that Victor did love you and everyone could see it and your right he couldn't have changed his feelings for you that quickly. We will get to the bottom of this I promise you that." Sammi said trying to help calm Ryan. 

**Le Fae**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda looked around the room at the various reunions, and was happy for them... but there was sadness in her heart. She didn't see Charles anywhere. She missed him so badly, and had hoped that he would be here. Her sadness was so intense that it showed. 

"I am sure that Xavier will make an appearance. He always has a way of showing up wherever I am." Stated Magneto. 

Amanda smiled at him for the encouragement. She looked at the occupants of the room, and decided that it was time to have a serious discussion about what was happening. She would also have to warn her group about letting the X-men see any comics due to the fact that it could affect their future. 

"I hate to break up the happy reunions, but we need to discuss why X-men and company are here. It's been nearly five years since......." 

"Wait a minute. It's only been a year since the explosion, darlin'." stated Logan. 

"That impossible...." began Amanda, when she suddenly fell to the floor screaming. 

Pain so intense flooded through her mind. It felt like a hundred needles piercing her mind. She tried to block it, but the pain was so intense that it made the pain she felt when her psychic aura was spread halfway across the psychic plane seem like a paper cut. A million images flooded through her mind. As the pain grew in intensity, she heard a voice. 

_/You like to write their fates, well you just wrote their doom. See you later, **mother**./_

**A.C.**

"Amanda!" Maria yelled out, accidentally shattering a glass. "You okay?" 

"My head." she moaned. 

Logan helped Amanda up. "What happened?" 

"I don't know. My head hurts all of a sudden. It's so painful. What did you say about only a year passing?" 

"I think it makes sense." Maria said as everyone else looked at her oddly. "I mean, think about it. In the comics, time passes irregularly. A year could pass while five passes here." 

"Five years passed here?!" Logan asked. 

"Yeah. As I recalled in the Excalibur comic, time does pass differently in alternate universes." 

**Maria Cline**

**_~Cara and Jamar's Apartment~_**

Hope hands the camera back to Athena. 

"That is definitely one to send into Kodak as a Kodak moment," she says with a straight face. 

Athena giggles and takes back the camera, putting it away in her back pack. 

Hope gets a more serious look on her face. 

"I think we need to get going over to where the others are at. It seems that there is trouble brewing, and I think that there is a little girl who would probably like to have someone just her size to be with. Not a lot of fun to be around with just big people." 

"Okay, sounds like a plan." says Athena, looking at Bobby. 

Bobby nods, then he says, "I need to go get Cara's pills, Jamar asked me to get them." 

He heads into the room where they are at and gets them. Coming out he states, 

"Cara had a bit of fright as well as some others.. Arac, or Eric as he is calling himself , showed up along with Magneto. There seemed to be a lot of hostile feelings. I got Cara's pills, lets get going. Oh, and Amanda got hurt by Victor Creed... it seems she went and confronted him.. The meeting didn't turn out too well for her. I think she will be all right." 

Hope and Athena turn a little pale hearing this. Athena quickly grabs the travel bag she needs for her kids and then says, 

"I'm ready." 

"So am I," says Hope. 

Bobby nods and takes the hands of his little boys in his own and they head out the door. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Bobby, Athena, the twin boys and Hope arrive upstairs at the same time as Teb and... Charles Xavier!!! 

The door is opened immediately by Jonas, letting in the rest of the group. Charles is immediately taken to where Amanda is. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda feels her headache subside, as she hears a familiar voice in her mind. 

_/I heard you calling out, I am here now./_

_/Charles???/_ Amanda opens her eyes to see the one she has been longing to see. 

With a glad cry, Amanda throws her arms around Charles, giving him a heartfelt hug, fondly known as a Cara special. Charles looks in her eyes, then he kisses Amanda tenderly on the lips. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Ange sees Teb and says, "Hello Chica.." He walks over to her then he pulls her into his arms and kisses her. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Hope looks over and sees Hank. She nods at him and smiles, pointing to the necklace he had given her. Hank walks over and whispers to her, 

"Dear Lady I haven't forgotten you either, I still have the scarf which you gave me," He takes her hand and kisses it. 

Hope's face turns a faintly darker shade of green (her way of blushing as she has green skin) as she sees Athena look at her and smile. 

Hank looks over at all the other people in Sammi's place. 

"What an extraordinary gathering we have here." he says quietly to Hope. 

Hope nods as she sees Cara hugging Eric, aka Arac. 

"I agree with you, definitely extrordinary." 

**Dreamweaver**


	5. Chapter Five

Title: Welcome To Reality  
Authors: AC, Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel Characters belong to Marvel Comics. All non-Marvel Characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome To Reality-Chapter Five**

Cara smiled as she watched Xavier and Amanda; she could feel their love for each other, and it warmed her heart. But she was still confused about the time distortion. Five years had passed for she and her friends, and only one for the X-Men? How was this possible? 

"So, time passes differently in different dimensions... but why? What causes the distortion?" she asked. 

**Rainfall**

Hope ponders this thought for a few minutes before speaking up in a light musical voice. 

"In my studies of inter-demensional war fare I have come to the conclusion that the phenomenon that has occurred is because of the previous dream wars," Hope said as she walked into the room. Her steps were so light that it seemed like she floated. 

"We were all drawn to the X-man universe because that was a great focus of our dreams. We all either wrote for them or allowed ourselves to become enthralled by the complexities of thier lives," she said as she smiled at everyone one. 

"In the end, we had all made a heart felt connection with the people of that universe," she smiled at Hank. 

"So they were drawn to us in our dimensions, once again because of a powerful connection... it didn't matter if it was love or hate, it simply drew everyone together again. In my lab I have been experimenting with a way to make the fabric of the dream world tougher. The fabric had been torn ages long past by a war between three sisters. One called Ymela held on to what is hope and dreams. Her sisters took over as chaos and nightmares. The war has never ended... the method of war has simply changed. 

"As nightmares grew stronger, chaos was allowed to reign... Thus leaving only Ymela to hold the fort, so to speak. Instead of confining the battle to the dream world, and because the fabric of dreams has been torn, the two have been able to use people as a way to further tear the dreaming*. It is my hypotheses that we are all once again united in order to stop this." Hope looked around at everyone. "Unless I am wrong, this is for all the chips. Only one side will stand when this is done. The only question is, will it be hopes and dreams... or will chaos and nightmares win?" 

**_~*~*~NOTE~*~*~_**

  
* _//The term "the dreaming" is taken from a wonderful White Wolf gaming system called Changling. In which a war is fought to save the "dreaming". Thanks Dreamweaver for the idea!//_   


**_~*~*~END NOTE~*~*~_**

**Lady_Yann**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Teb grabbed onto Angelo and wasn't about to let go. She had a lot of questions, but she didn't really care about them... right now all she cared about was Angelo. 

Teb had grown up quite a bit. She still had punk red hair and still dressed like a kid, but her face had matured and she was a little bit taller. 

"Teb," Ange said, and grabbed her into a hug again. 

"Sorry it took so long to get here, Ange. There was traffic from the city, and the Professor wouldn't let me speed." 

Ange chuckled and hugger her closer. 

"I'm so happy, Ange." 

"Me too, Chica." 

After a while, Teb pulled back. 

"Hey, guys?" she asked, looking around. "Where's Storm?" 

**teb**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Sammi and Ryan were talking, when Kat came over and started tugging on Ryan's shirt. Sammi and Ryan turned to her and Ryan asked,"What is it Honey?" 

"Mommy, Outside." Kat said as she pointed towards the window. 

Sammi got up and walked over to the huge window and looked up to the sky. "It looks like its going to rain, but all the weather reports said nothing about a storm." She said, just as they heard a lighting crack. Sammi jumped a little, but not from the lighting. She jumped because of WHO she saw outside causing it. 

"STORM!" She yelled as she ran out the door. Sammi ran up the fire escape and got to the roof. 

When she got over to where Storm was flying she said,"Are you done? Because I would rather it not rain on the reunion we are having inside." 

Storm turned at the voice and said, "By the Goddess! Samantha!" Storm quickly landed on the roof and hugged Sammi. 

"It's good to see you too, Storm. Can you clear up this weather and we'll go inside? Everyone is here and we need to talk and figure out what is going on." Sammi said as Storm cleared the weather and they both walked back inside. 

**jubilee_79**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Gambit and Leilee sat at the kitchen table while the others gathered in the living room. 

"A lot of time has passed, chere." 

"Oui. And a lot has happened. You look good, Remy." 

Remy smiled at her. "You've gained some weight. That's good. You were too thin." 

Leilee bit her lip as she looked down at her now 127 lb. frame. "Um...I have something to tell you. When I was with you guys, well.....I was anorexic and bulimic. I wouldn't eat for long periods of time, and when I did eat, I'd throw it up. That's why I was so thin. The school I went to would have kicked me out if I didn't maintain that weight. I was a senior with two months left when I met you." 

Gambit opened his mouth to say something, but Leilee placed a hand over his mouth. "Let me finish. 

"After the last senior show, I collapsed in the dressing room and was admitted for 3 months into a hospital. I weighed 87 pounds. They managed to save me, but they couldn't save the baby. I was two months pregnant, but I was so weak and malnourished that I miscarried. I didn't know I was pregnant, but I was. And the baby died. Remy, you were the father." 

Remy stared at her for a moment in a state of shock, and then gathered her into his arms. Leilee's eyes filled with tears as he rocked her back and forth. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she whispered. 

**Leilee**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda watched while everyone dealt with the concept that time had past differently; and she dealt with what the voice had said. Though she felt safe in Charles' arms, she could still hear the mocking of the voice in her head. It had commented that she wrote the X-men's fates which she guessed that the voice had referred to her writing for the show. What scared her was that the voice stated that she wrote their doom. Amanda was terrified that the voice was referring to what was in store for next season. 

Unlike the others, Amanda had hid all that happened in her subconscious so no one would think she was crazy. After a while, she had believed it was a dream even though her heart knew it had been real. When she had dreamed of the new villain for the X-men, she had no idea that it was Anon she was dreaming about. What was worse was the fact that she had made Anon more powerful then she was in real life. Could Anon be using her storyline as her plan to destroy the X-men? If she was, then the X-men would be in trouble... because at the end of this story , the X-men fate is unknown. 

Amanda hugged Charles once more before saying, _/We need to talk./_

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda and Charles headed outside. It was easy to leave unnoticed, due to the fact that everyone was trying to figure out what was going on. The only one who noticed their departure was Magneto, who joined them. Charles was uncomfortable with Magneto being around Amanda, but he refused to let it get to him. He knew that Magneto's input would be valuable, and that Amanda had no interest in him. 

"From the expression on your face, I assumed that you had more then just a headache." stated Magneto. 

"I received a telepathic signal from someone, and now I'm afraid that I may be responsible for you guys being in danger." explained Amanda. 

"Amanda, I think you need to explain what happened, and what you mean about you putting us in danger," stated Charles as he reached for her hand. 

Amanda took it and explained, " You have to understand that I repressed my memories in order to keep my sanity. I later got a job writing for a TV show based on you guys. I soon got promoted to head writer. Well, someone read my fanfic about our time with you and decided that Anon would be a great opponent for next season, so I wrote a few stories using a similar character. Then the exec. said they wanted a character that could destroy the X-men. They wanted Onslaught." 

Amanda saw both men shudder as the name brought unpleasant memories for them. She could understand. 

"I made up an excuse for not Using Onslaught because of the time frame, so they said I had to come up with a similar character and had to make him more dangerous. This season ended with you wiping Magneto's mind, Charles. The character I made up is born when that energy is released. He has both your and Magneto's powers and memories. Unlike Onslaught, he doesn't need to be bonded to either of you. Charles, this next season ends with everyone believing that the X-men are dead. The X-men can't defeat him." 

Magneto and Charles both pale when they realize what she is getting at. 

"That's right. I think someone has brought my character to life. If that has happened, there is no way that the X-men can defeat him." 

**A.C.**

**_~Inside~_**

Jonas walked over to the window... this was a little too much to take into so short a time. 

Their honeymoon was ruined, well for the moment anyway... they had waited to marry... put if off for so long and finally they did it. 

Now they were married... and Sammi was pregnant. Jonas put his forehead against the window letting the cold glass ease his mind... it didn't work. 

It was not strange that Sammi never talked about children, it must have been hard to lose a baby... 

Jonas never talked about it do to the fact that he was not sure if he could have children; his body was no longer completely human... part of him was Dragon. 

And again fear started to run through his mind... what if it was his fault that Sammi miscarried... maybe he would never be able to give them a child. 

"Jonas...?" Rogue stepped into the room. 

In all the excitement and confusion she had not been able to talk to him, and now didn't seem like a good time. She was about to exit. 

"Please, Rogue... stay." Jonas pushed the words out... he cursed his eyes he could no longer shed a tear... he lost so much in his rebirth, and who would guess how much one would miss tears? 

"You know? About Sammi?" he said, not turning around. 

Rogue first only nodded, then said "yes." 

She walked closer. "What is wrong... ya don't want..." 

"More then any thing... but..." he swallowed and turned around. 

"I have been dreaming about this... we both have, I know that... Having Kat, and Athena's two... monsters." He smiled as he remembered the fun times. 

"But we never really talked about it... there was always something to keep us occupied and we traveled a lot... you know we have a house in Australia?" Jonas asked, trying to change the subject. 

Rogue shook her head and walked up to him, standing close to him. 

"Well, I have always feared that I can't have a child... not being fully... human... and what if Sammi miscarried because of..." Jonas lost his ground and slid to the floor, instinctively grabbing his face. 

Rogue kneeled beside him. "Sugar... ya don't know that... it can happen to anyone for any number of reasons... it could have been anything, I'm sure it will work out fine." Rogue took his hand. 

Tears formed in her eyes. "Sammi fears the same thing, but I think she is afraid it's her fault." Rogue held him close as he cried a tearless cry on her shoulder, letting years of frustration and fear out to breathe. 

"Ah have been meaning to tell ya... thank ya." Rogue pulled him away and kissed him on the forehead. Jonas looked at her shocked, It had worked? 

"Ah got your message, and it worked... the last year has been magic... your magic. The statue still rests on ma night table..." Rogue said, and took one of his hands in both of hers. 

**_~Flashback~_**

Rogue fell to the floor next to her bed; she had lost him once and thought she would never recover... now she lost him again... her *son*. 

She had been looking, trying to access the message in the danger room for over a week, but had no luck. After Forge and Beast had looked through the files, they had found that there was no message for her. 

Having not been in her room for all this time... she curled up in bed, Storm had been trying to comfort her, but nothing helped. 

Rogue opened her eyes and saw the small statue on the nightstand; it was of her hugging Jonas... a crystal statue... it was beautiful. 

It must have been someone's attempt to make her happy... but all it did was make her mad; nothing could make her happy right now... and she didn't want to be happy. She grabbed the statue and was about to throw it at the wall, when all faded. 

She looked around and found she was standing in a crystal room; it was an empty room, but it was still amazing. 

"Rogue?" a voice said, and she turned around. 

"Sorry there was no message for you... this felt too personal, and I wanted to give you more than a holographic picture. My magic gave me the opportunity." 

Rogue looked and could not believe her eyes... she had been trying so hard, and she had been looking in all the wrong places. 

"Oh, Jonas, why did ya have to leave." she said softly. 

"Rogue... I have never been too good at expressing myself, the time I have been here you have been supporting me more the you needed to..." Jonas walked closer, and Rogue could see flashes of memories. 

"I know that we won't return; one way or another, we will be gone... and there will be nothing you can do... or could have done. But you must remember that I love you... and out of this love I give you this gift." Jonas held out his hand. 

"Mother." Jonas said as Rogue took it, and suddenly the *dream* was gone. 

Rogue was hovering in mid air in her room. She looked at the statue... it was glowing and it burned her skin... but for some reason she didn't let go, as if it were a necessary pain. 

In a hard flash she screamed as the hot pain spread through her body, and she felt as if her entire being was being remade... and the next second it stopped. 

_/I wish I could give you more... and I hope that it works.../_ Jonas' voice sounded in her head for the last time, and the statue stopped glowing... it was now full of small cracks and looked fragile, so she carefully put it on the night stand. 

She felt what he had done... how he had done it she did not know, and it was unimportant... she now had control of her curse. 

**_~End Flashback~_**

Rogue smiled and let go of him and helped him to his feet. 

"Now go and talk to Sammi. Ah think both of ya need to talk about this." 

Jonas looked at her and was about to say something, but Rogue cut him off and pushed him in the direction of the door. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Outside he almost walked into Logan... afraid that he would make a scene, Jonas tried to avoid him. 

Logan grabbed him by the arm. "Listen to me and listen good... I know that ya love her, I know that she love ya... yer a good kid. I'm sorry I didn't see it earlier." 

Jonas looked surprised. 

"You take good care of her and yer child... understand." Logan let go of him. 

"I promise Logan... you have my word on that." Jonas said and put a hand on Logan's shoulder, but they didn't look at each other. 

"Good, now go to her... ya both need to talk." Logan walked in to rouge. 

Jonas walked over to Sammi and hugged her from behind. "Hunny... do you think you have a moment?" 

**Admiral**

Sammi felt his arms around her and she leaned back. "Hunny, do you think you have a moment?" 

She turned in his arms and looked at him in the eyes. "For you, I have a million." She said and smiled. 

He led her to their favorite spot... The roof. They always went up there, to watch the sunset or on many occasions watch it rise again. It was the place they could truly be alone, and just be together and talk. 

He sat down and Sammi took her place in between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her again and she cherished every moment of it. 

"I heard you and dad." She said finally. 

"You did?" He asked, moving around her so he could look her in the eyes. 

Sammi nodded. "This house isn't that big." She said as she pointed at her ear. 

"I forgot. I wanted to talk to you." Jonas said brushing a stray piece of hair out of her eye. 

"Yeah, me too." Sammi said as she placed her hand on his cheek. "I should have told you sooner, about before. I'm sorry." 

Jonas looked at her. Rogue was right, She was blaming herself. Sammi didn't say it, but he could tell by the look in her eyes. 

"Don't ever apologize. You did what you thought was right, and before I found you again, I don't know how I would have handled it. I know you were waiting until I could handle it. That's one of the many things I love about you. How much you care for other people, before yourself. That is also one of the things that drives me crazy." He was about to say more, but she cut him off with a kiss. He deepened the kiss as he tightened his arms around her. 

When the kiss ended, she said, "Now we're even." 

"What do you mean by that?" He asked as he remembered the other times she said that. 

"You do the same thing. You always put others before you. And believe me, it gets on my nerves." 

He started laughing. When he stopped he said, "I love you." 

"I love you, too." She said, and kissed him again. 

This time he pulled apart first and he put his hand on her stomach. "And I love you, too." He leaned down and kissed her stomach. 

When he brought his head up, he found that she had tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" 

"What if I lose this one, too?" She asked a few tears escaping down her cheek. 

"I don't think you...we'll lose this one. I think before it wasn't the right time. I think know that we found each other, it's the right time. It wasn't your fault, it wasn't anyone's fault. It just wasn't the right time." He said as he brushed the tears away and kissed her. 

She broke the kiss and smiled one of her lopsided smiles. "So, Uncle Jo Jo, What do you want? A Girl or a Boy?" 

"Well, Auntie Sammi, I really don't care, but I think I would love a girl. As long as she is just like her mother." He replied with a smile. "Wait, I take that back. I want a boy that is nothing like either of us." 

She slapped him lightly on the arm as she said,"Behave." 

He pulled her in to his arms so she was leaning back on him. "What about names?" He said kissing her on the back of her head. They had been like this ever since they found each other again. They just couldn't stop kissing each other. 

**jubilee_79**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Athena watched Robbie and Mac play on the floor with their father. Robbie seemed a little hesitant with Bobby. She knew it must be hard for both boys. They weren't used to having so many people around. She had only just recently made contact with the other members of VisionX. 

For most of the past five years, she had been alone with her boys. She made it through her pregnancy alone, she made it through twenty-two hours of labor alone. She had survived three a.m. feedings alone, and she had survived the terrible twos alone. No one had been there to give her a break, no one had been there to cheer her on or whisper words of advice. She had entered into motherhood completely independent of anyone else. Looking back it made her feel that her codename, Solitaire, fit her all the more. 

She knew it was conceited, but she thought she had been doing a good job with the boys. She had been raised to be very polite, and her boys were too. She was having conflicted emotions about this extended family. She felt that on one hand, family would be good for the boys. On the other, people seemed to jump to the assumption that her boys must be wild hooligans. She supposed it was just because a) they were boys and b) Bobby was their dad. At any rate it was a source of fury with Athena. 

She had worked hard to teach her boys to be polite and obedient, and they were. They were very smart for their age and always thoughtful. She hated the idea that they were being stereotyped by people who hardly knew them. She decided she should talk to Bobby about sending the boys to stay with her friend Mishka in Nashville, at least until this was all over. 

She was worried about a lot of things affecting the boys. She was afraid that everyone taking the attitude that they were 'monsters' might do them psychological harm. She was worried that they might be physically injured, due to the frequent outbreaks of fighting that seemed to plague the X-Men. She was also worried about them getting attached to Bobby. 

She didn't want to think about it, but there was always the possibility that they might be dimensionally separated again. She was afraid that if the boys became too close to him, losing him might do more harm than having him did good. She dreaded the thought of Bobby not watching his boys grow up. "I promise, that if I have to literally move heaven and earth to keep the four of us in the same world, I will," Athena thought to herself with a smile. Until then, she decided to speak with Bobby about sending the boys to Mishka. 

**snowbaby**

"Why move heaven and earth?" a soft voice asked her. 

"You could just move to the realm of the dreams," Hope told her. 

"The boys would be a welcome change to the land of dreams. I can see them playing with the satyr's now." Hope smiled. 

**Lady_Yann**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Sammi thought about it for a moment. She didn't have to think long because ever since she got back and found out she was pregnant the first time she had two names picked out. 

"How about Josephine Rogue for a girl, and Alexander Logan for a boy?" She said, looking up to the sky. 

"I love them." Jonas said, leaning down and kissing her cheek. "I think Grandma and Grandpa will love them, too." 

"Speaking of the grandparents..." Sammi said as she slowly got up and headed towards the fire escape. 

Jonas watched her. He knew what she was doing. He knew Rogue and Wolverine were both on the fire escape listening to them. He wanted to laugh, it was just like at the mansion. 

Sammi slowly leaned over the railing and said, "You two are still up to your old tricks, huh?" 

Wolverine and Rogue both looked up at her; where Logan was smiling, Rogue looked surprised. 

"How long had ya known, Sugah?" Rogue asked. 

Sammi smiled at them both and said, "Ever since you dropped the book inside." 

Rogue looked at Logan and said, "How come you never told me How good her hearing was?" And lightly slapped him on the shoulder. 

Logan winced playfully and said, "I figured you already knew." 

Sammi looked at the two and said, "Well, Why don't you two come up and tell us what you think about the names, Grandma and Grandpa?" 

Over where Jonas was still sitting, he couldn't hold the laughter anymore. Sammi looked at him and started laughing too. But she was laughing for a different reason. She Telepathically told Logan and Rogue, _/Don't warn him. He thinks He has his powers all figured out... let him find out about it./_ She smiled even bigger at the sight that was about to happen. 

Above Jonas another portal opened, and Sammi could smell who it was so she didn't panic. 

Joans was still sit on the roof laughing away at the three, when Someone dropped from the portal and landed in Jonas's lap. His laughter stopped instantly, and Sammi, Logan and Rogue's continued even more. Because sitting in Jonas's lap was a very confused looking Warren Worthington the Third. 

**jubilee_79**

"Hey, Wings...welcome to the twilight zone. Have a nice trip?" laughed Sammi. 

Just then, Sammi and Logan both heard a familiar snarl of rage, and they bolted for the edge of the roof. Jonas had also heard the sound, and pushed Warren gently off of his lap so he could see what the other two were seeing. With their enhanced sight, they noticed a disturbance a few blocks away. 

"What's all the hub bub?" asked Rogue, as she and Warren also came to stand by them on the edge of the roof. 

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on??" asked a rather confused Warren. 

"No time now, Wings. Sabertooth is down there causing trouble. We've got to go stop him. Rogue, fly me over there, and hurry!" exclaimed Wolverine. 

Rogue looked into his eyes and knew he meant business. Without a word, she picked Wolverine up and flew with him off of the roof in the direction of the disturbance. 

Sammi looked at Jonas with the same look in her eyes as her Father, and without a word, Jonas too picked Sammi up, and they flew after the other two. 

"Hey, guys, wait for me!!! I don't even know where I am!" Warren shouted. He stretched out his wings, and flew off in the direction the other four had taken. 

The five heros touched down around the corner from where they saw the disturbance, and decided to go the rest of the way on foot. They came around a corner and skidded to a stop as they took in the sight before them. Sabertooth crouched and grappled with a small form in front of him. As he threw the unfortunate person, they noticed that it was a small-framed woman. 

They took in the waist length black hair, and the all too familiar blue eyes that glittered dangerously and looked at Logan and Sammi. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Maggie twisted in mid-air as she landed lightly on her feet. 

"OOOHHHH is that all ya got?" She snarled at Creed. "You poster child for birth control." 

Sabertooth roared with rage as this little bit of fluff dared to taunt him. Maggie hoped that this was working. She never meant to get into a fight in the middle of the street, but it pissed her off as she had watched him shove a little old lady to the ground. She had walked right up and grabbed his arm. 

"You owe that lady an apology, bub," she snarled at him. That's when he attacked her. The first blow took her by surprise and she flew backwards several feet. It was all down hill from there. She ran her mouth till she made him crazy with anger. Now she had him where she wanted him. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

The Five heard the familiar shinck of claws being popped, but when they glanced at Logan he was frozen to the spot. They looked back at the woman that Creed was fighting, and she was the one that popped out three foot bone claws out of the back of her knuckles. The last second of Creed's charge, Maggie drove them hard into his middle, but she was distracted by a cry from one of the strangers. Creed backhanded her and managed to get free of her. 

Maggie felt the wind blow by and landed hard on the hood of a car. She lay there stunned for a few minutes and slowly rolled off. She looked around, but her ears already told her that the mad man had ran off. Glancing around slightly dazed she spotted her backpack a few feet away. Her ribs hurt when she bent over to grab it. She sat down of the hood of a car as she dug around and found her smokes. She took a deep drag as she could feel her ribs mending themselves. That's when she noticed a short guy with a funny haircut staring at her. 

"What the hell are you looking at, bub," She growled at him. 

**Lady_Yann**


	6. Chapter Six

Title: Welcome To Reality  
Authors: AC, Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel Characters belong to Marvel Comics. All non-Marvel Characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome To Reality-Chapter Six**

Teb and Angelo snuck out of the house very easily. Teb drove them into the city and parked the car. 

"Time for you to meet MY friends," Teb said, getting out of the car. 

She walked up to a group of guys standing in the shadows. Ange watched her carefully, then got out and walked over to them. 

"Guys, this is Angelo. Angelo, these are the guys. Rick, Hottie, and James." 

"Hola," Ange said, and put a protective arm around Teb's shoulders. 

Hottie noticed Ange's untrusting face, "Don't worry, bro. Teb's like a little sister." 

"Yea, bro, Teb's safe with us," James gave a goofy thumbs up that looked really silly coming from him. 

Angelo relaxed. "Si, I was just worried about my chica hanging around with a bunch of guys." 

"Your chica?" Rick teased, "Geeze, Teb, when did you get a boy? I never see you with any guys besides us?" 

Teb blushed and looked into Ange's face, "Me and Ange go way back," she smiled. "I'm gonna stop at the folks place. I'll talk to you guys later." 

"Your folks? Your not gonna hang with us tonight?" James asked. 

"Sorry guys. I've got some visitors from far away I need to catch up with. i'll see ya," Teb grabbed Anges hand and ran down the street. They ran up the steps of a red brick building. 

"Should I knock?" Teb asked, more to herself then to Ange. "I mean, I don't live here anymore." 

Teb didn't have to answer as her older brother opened the door and gave her an odd look. Then he glanced at Ange, and then back at Teb. 

"HEY, MOM! TEB'S HERE AND SHE BROUGHT A FRIEND!" he walked away, leaving the door open. 

"Hello to you too, Ray," Teb sighed and walked in, and led Ange into the kitchen. 

"Hey mom. I'd like you to meet Ange." 

Teb's mom looked up from her cooking for a second. "Hello," she said, and went back to stirring her pot. 

"Mom....MOM," Teb was getting annoyed. Here she was, back home, trying to introduce her boyfriend to her parents, and they STILL weren't interested in her. 

Teb led Ange into the living room. Her father was sitting down reading the paper. 

"Hey dad. This is Angelo, my boyfriend." 

"Hola, sir," Ange said, trying to be nice. 

Teb's dad looked up from his paper. "Are you one of those thug kids she's always hanging around with?" 

"ummm..." 

"They're not thugs, dad, they're nice guys!" 

"Don't talk back to me. Go to your room." 

"I don't live here anymore, DAD... Thanks for noticing," Teb grabbed Ange's hand and stormed out of the house. 

Teb stopped outside. She was fuming. They treated her brothers girlfriends so kind. Why not HER friends? 

"Sorry, Ange. Me and my family have issues." 

Ange smiled and gave her a hug. "I love you, chica." 

Teb smiled. Ange always knew how to make her feel better. 

"Come on, we should get back before they notice we're gone. I just wanted you to meet my true family, and my real family." 

**Teb**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Ryan was at the window looking outside when she saw it. Sabretooth was fighting with someone else. 

"Cara, can you please watch Kat for a while?" 

"Sure, no problem." Cara responded as Ryan walked out the door. 

A very curious Eric Jr followed her outside, he still felt guilty for killing the man she loved, or at least he thought he had. At any rate he had decided to take over the role as protector of her since Sabretooth couldn't do it anymore. 

She came outside just in time to see a small short woman driving her claws into Victor. "NNNOOOOO!" Ryan screamed. This was the second person that Sabretooth tried to kill that she has seen. Ryan seemed to be screaming for both parties involved. She didn't want anyone to be hurt, but she didn't want Victor to be hurt either. 

Victor broke free from the girl and ran off at the sight of the crowd. He was told to stay away from the X-types until given new orders. 

Ryan watched Victor run off. She couldn't take this anymore. There was no way she was going to let Victor run around the city picking fights with innocent people. She decided to follow him and try to reason with him. Part of her wanted to see if any of the man she loved was left in his heart. She still had hope in him, and wanted to bring the Sabretooth she loved back. 

Eric saw Ryan run after Sabretooth, and followed her. What is she thinking going after that psycho alone, Eric thought to himself. 

Ryan was following Sabretooth, when she couldn't catch sight of him anymore. She prepared herself for the attack she knew was coming. A large hand reached out and grabbed Ryan around the neck. He was holding her small body to his with her back turned towards him. Ryan suppressed a cry at the memory of how gentle his touch used to be with her. 

"Why are you following me, frail? You want to die early?" Sabretooth growled in her ear. 

"No, I just wanted to talk to you. I wanted to ask you why?" 

"I don't have to justify anything to you. Who do you think you are anyway, frail?" Sabretooth was a little shocked by her question. No one had ever tried to make him justify his actions before. He was just a monster, and people accepted that. 

"I thought I was the woman you loved. Why did you attack me back in the tunnels, Victor?" Ryan was getting closer to tears. 

"I don't know what your talking about, but if you got some sick fantasy about getting some from old Sabretooth I think I could help you with that. I don't blame you... if I was sleeping with the runt, I would be looking for a real man too. Of course I'll have to kill you after." 

"What's wrong with you? Why are you doing this to me and to everyone I care about? I thought you loved me?" 

Victor squeezed Ryan's throat harder, "I don't love anyone frail…least of all you!" 

Eric turned the corner to see Sabretooth choking Ryan. "Let her go, Creed!" 

"Make me!" 

I hope this works, Eric thought to himself. He used his empathic powers to try to dig deep into Sabretooth's emotions and bring out his love for Ryan. He dug deep, and just when Eric thought he had found it, Sabretooth began to twitch and suddenly he was out cold. 

"What did you do to him?" Ryan screamed at Eric. He had tried to kill Victor once, and now he was doing it again. She knew he couldn't be trusted. 

"I just tried to pull up his emotions towards you. I don't know what happened," Eric said, taking his pulse. "He's still alive." 

"I'm not leaving him." Ryan said, and for the first time in years she began to focus her powers. Ryan morphed Sabretooth into an orange tomcat. "I still got it!" She smiled towards Eric. 

"Let's take him back to the loft. Maybe we should pick up really big chains on the way?" Eric asked, very worried about bringing Sabretooth back to a house with kids in it. 

**Le Fae**

Amanda had sensed what was happening with Sabretooth and took a dead run towards it, leaving Charles and Magneto behind. Though her side hurt, she managed to get there in time to see Eric knock out Sabretooth. She overheard Eric ask to take him inside, and decided to speak up. 

"It might be too dangerous, Ryan. His memories of us have been distorted by Anon. He'll attack any one of us; and I know if he does, Logan will go after him," stated Amanda. 

"What should we do? We can't leave himm" asked Ryan. 

"I know. I saw one of those no-tell motels a little bit down the road. We'll take him there. You go check on Kat, and then have Jamar drive you down. I'll need his help to try to bring Victor's memories back. Eric, I need you to help me get him out of here without the others seeing him. Then you need to stay with me. My injuries are too severe to let me take on Sabretooth again. Don't tell anyone... especially Xavier or Wolverine. They'll kill me if they find out." 

While Amanda and Eric got Victor out of there, Ryan went to go check on Kat. She was relieved that Victor's behavior was based on Anon's scheme, and that he hadn't stop loving her. She was also glad that Amanda was going to help her. She knew that Amanda liked Victor and would do anything to help him, even if it mean putting her relationship with Charles on the line. Now all she had to do was convince Jamar to help, and keep the secret from everyone. If she did, she was going to get Kat's father back, and the man that she loved. 

**A.C.**

"Brillant idea," sneered a voice. 

It was the young lady that initally tangled with Sabertooth. It was rather hard to tell if the blood on her clothes was hers or Creed's, but it was caked on the well worn jeans that she wore. Her jean jacket sported several tears. 

"That," she stuttered with shock. "Thing is a menace to society!" 

Maggie couldn't believe what she was hearing. These people were actually planning on keeping him! 

**Lady_Yann**

As Ryan was walking off to go check on Kat, she nearly ran into the girl that Victor had attacked. She was about to apologize to the girl, but then she heard the girls comment about Victor. "That thing is a menace to society." Ryan knew that this girl had every right to be angry with Victor, but Ryan was still fiercely protective of him. This girl nearly gutted Victor, and she was saying that HE was a menace. The nerve of her, Ryan thought to herself. 

"Victor is not a menace to society. He's just confused right now and needs some help." Ryan said, trying to keep her calm. 

"Bull, he's an animal!" The stranger stated, completely shocked that this blonde bimbo could be so naive as to believe that creep is "just confused". 

Ryan stepped closer to the stranger, she had never backed down from anyone in her life and she was not going to start now. 

"Victor is not an animal." She said calmly, and then poked the girl in the chest. "Now I think you had better leave." 

"Wait… no… I can't believe this. You're not trying to pick a fight with me, are you BARBIE?" The stranger said in a mock tone. This blonde bimbo was not going to try to bully her around. 

Amanda and Eric watched the whole scene unfold. Eric had picked up Sabretooth in his alley cat form, but put him down when he saw the tension rising between Ryan and the stranger. With Ryan's mood getting angrier, she couldn't hold Sabretooth in cat form anymore and his shape shifted back to his normal form. 

Amanda thought it might be best to defuse this situation. She had seen this stranger take Sabretooth on in a fight and nearly win, but she had also seen Ryan rip the heart from someone's chest and shove it down that person's throat. If these two started fighting, things wouldn't look pretty. 

"Hey, maybe we could talk this out later. We need to get Sabretooth out of everyone's view." 

"Stay out of this Amanda. Ms. Attitude here needs to be taught a lesson," Ryan said, staring at the girl. 

Amanda didn't know what to do. Both girls could easily kill each other, and this was not what she wanted. She also knew she couldn't stop either in a fight. She thought quickly and projected her solution to the girls as a subliminal message. 

Right when both girls were about to rip each other apart, something strange happened. Instead of the bloody massacre the fight was supposed to be, it turned into a hair pulling and scratching girlie catfight. 

Each girl had a chunk of the other girl's hair in their hands, pulling hard left and right while scratching at each other's faces. The girls pulled so hard they lost their footing, and were now rolling around on the ground scratching at each other. Unfortunately for both girls, it had rained recently in San Francisco... and the girls rolled right into a very large mud puddle in someone's front yard. 

Eric started to laugh at the sight of his very first view of a mud-wrestling match. Granted he thought Ryan was a pretty good fighter, but his money was on the stranger. 

Amanda stared at him, shocked. "Do something!" She said. She couldn't believe this was happening. A psycho was unconscious and about to wake up at any moment, and instead of securing him she had to break up a catfight. 

_**~*~*~*~*~*~**_

Logan turned the corner, following the scent of where everyone had gone when he saw the stranger and Ryan covered in mud, fighting with each other. "What in blazes is going on here?" He asked the laughing Eric and the more than angry looking Amanda. 

"Logan, can you please stop them?" Amanda pleaded with the man. 

Logan then made the biggest mistake of his life... because everyone who has ever seen a catfight knows better than to get involved. They are best to be left to work themselves out. As he reached to separate the two girls, he lost his footing and ended up in the mud between the two fighting girls. He was now in the middle of a mud fight. For the first time in his life Logan cried, "Help!". 

**Yann and Le Fae**

Sammi rounded the corner just in time to see Logan get pulled into the cat fight. And when she heard him call for help she almost started laughing. Instead she yelled, "THAT'S IT!!!! EVERYONE STOP, NOW, OR MORE THAN A CAT FIGHT IS GOING TO HAPPEN!" 

Everyone froze. Logan quickly got out of the way and was standing next to Sammi. Sammi looked at Amanda and Eric and telepathically told them, _/Get him out of here, now. I got this covered./_

Ryan turned Sabretooth back into cat form; Amanda and Eric quickly picked him up and headed towards the motel. 

Ryan and the other girl got up and looked at Sammi. 

"Ryan, go check on Kat, Ok?" Sammi asked. Ryan nodded and took off down the street. 

Sammi turned to the other girl and asked, "Who are you?" 

The girl took a rather defensive stand and said, "Why the hell do you want to know?" 

Sammi was trying not to lose her temper, but this girl wasn't helping. 

"I want to know, because.." Sammi popped her claws and finished, "You act and look like me and my father. Now, Who are you?" 

**jubilee_79**

Jonas stepped up behind her. "Talk." he said and the new girl turned around to look right into the eyes of a big Dragon-looking creature. 

"Hunny, don't you think that was overkill?" Sammi asked, grinning at Jonas who looked rather angry. 

Amanda walked up, not too happy. "Jonas, you complained at Jamar... do you think this is any less..." she didn't finish. 

"Police!.. who is..." An uniformed policewoman yelled from down the street. 

Jonas turned around... still in Dragon form. 

"Great!" Sammi and Amanda yelled at the same time. 

"Oh my..." Tina said silently to herself as she took in the sight in front of her. A gigantic monster was looking at her. 

"Don't move." She screamed and drew her gun. 

Jonas moved to look at Amanda, but was stopped by the sound of the gun as it hit him twice in the head. He didn't even feel the shots, but the shock made him fall over. 

Sammi jumped aside and landed on her feet and ran to make sure Jonas was ok. 

"Is it dead?" the woman asked and walked closer. 

"Great, just great." Amanda said. 

She was about to telepathically change the woman's memory, when she noticed that she could not access her mind... it was totally locked down... 

_/She is a mutant... how is that possible?/_ Amanda thought as Wolverine charged towards the woman. 

**Admiral**

Maggie thought to herself as she tried to wipe some of the mud from her clothes. It was kind of hard to see around the large form that had looked like it was going to eat her. She noticed that her hands were shaking as she wiped the mud away. 

She thought again. She did a mental count of her money and went looking for her backpack. She found it lying under a nearby bush. Now if she could figure out what happened to her guitar case she was going to get the hell out of Dodge. Then that sneaky little voice spoke up in her head, 'Hey, what about the homicidal maniac?' That was enough to make her linger. 

**Lady_Yann**

**_~The Loft~_**

Cara watched Little Kat as she went over to play with Athena's twins. She smiled. Athena had done such a good job raising them. They were little gentlemen. Cara dearly loved children...and wanted some of her own. 

A shadow crossed her face at that thought. She never talked about children with Jamar. She wanted to give him children. She knew he'd be a great Father...and longed to see him bouncing his own little one on his knee. But it was not to be. 

The doctors had advised her that it would not be wise for her to have children. Her illness was in remission, but it had left her heart and body too weak. They told her that she would probably never be able to carry a pregnancy to full term, much less give birth. The strain could kill her. The day that the doctor told Cara that, part of her died. She felt like she was defective...and not of worth. 

Cara had dreams of children, whom she loved very much. When she woke up from these dreams, she cried because they weren't real. Her arms ached to hold her own little ones...to hear them call her Mommy. She'd helped raise Kat, and loved her dearly. Being around Kat as she grew had helped ease her pain at least a little, but she longed for her own little angel. 

The dreams were wonderful, but waking from them always caused Cara so much pain. She almost wished that she would never dream about the children again. Almost. Yet, she always longed to see her dream children again. 

Cara put a hand over her eyes to halt the tears which were threatening to flow. It wouldn't do to cry and make anyone else upset. 

**Rainfall**

From a distance, Hope felt someone's despair. It tore at her. She found Cara quietly sobbing. She saw into her heart and knew what caused her sadness. The magic bloomed from her and engulfed Cara in an healing light. Hope knew that the next time that Cara and her love were together, Cara would get her wish. 

**Lady_Yann**

Ryan walked into the loft covered in mud. She was so angry, she wanted to hit something really hard. 

"What happened to you?" Cara asked Ryan as she walked past her. 

"Mommy, did you make mud pies too?" Kat beamed at her Mom. In her eyes, Ryan was the best Mom in the world. She was never scared of getting dirty like other kids Mom's were. She dove right in just like her and that made her more fun. "Mommy, you can't make mud pies without me!" 

"I'm sorry, Scrappy. I just couldn't help myself," Ryan said, trying to keep her cool with her daughter. 

She was angry and didn't want to bring Kat into it. Ryan then looked at Cara "Don't ask," was all she said and walked to her apartment and decided to take a shower. Everyone Ryan passed on her way stopped in shock and started giggling. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

After several hours of trying to get all the mud off, Ryan finally succeeded. She decided to go find Jamar and see if he could drop her off at the hotel Amanda was stashing Sabretooth in. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

"Yeah, well boys smell bad!" Kat yelled at little Robbie. 

"No we don't. Girls have cooties!" Robbie yelled back to Kat. 

"To tell you the truth, boys and girls basically smell the same except for a few differences, and there are no such things as cooties." Little Mac explained to his brother and new friend. 

"Hey, you guys want to do something fun?" Kat said bright eyed to her two new friends. When her Mom told her that some children her age would be coming to stay with them for a while she was happy. Even if they were both boys, Kat was happy to have people her own age to hang out with. 

"Well, girls aren't very fun." Robbie said. "But okay… what do you want to do?" 

"Follow me," Was all Kat said and led the boys to Cara's room and to her computer. 

**Le Fae**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Hope knew that before the night was through, there would be a lot of work to be done. She smiled softly and she appeared next to Hank, only to kiss his sweet face and disappear again. Once again she reached out with her powers to the source of turmoil amongst her friends. 

She found Ryan lost in a sea of hopelessness and hurt. She wasn't sure how to go about fixing Creed's memory of Ryan and the love that they shared, but she was sure that she could take some of the anger and aggression from him. 

Hope smiled at the two that were going to stand watch. 

"Have no fear. The fearsome Sabertooth shall relax in his repose till awakened." 

Amanda and Eric exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. 

"Have you both loved ones that you wish to spend time with for as long as you may?" Hope asked. "Do not fear. He will be safe." 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Maggie had followed from a safe distance, watching as two of the strangers took Creed into a motel room. 

She stood outside for about an hour until they came out and left. She waited a few more minutes before going to check it out. 

It was a good thing that Henry taught her how to pick locks. Maggie wanted to make sure that the monster wasn't going to be push any little old ladies around. She smiled with satisfaction when the tumblers all fell into place. 

On light feet she entered the room. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the dim light, but she could hear Creed snoring lightly from the bed. 

She watched Creed sleeping and could easily see why the blonde bimbo was so stuck on the guy. Even asleep there was an intense animal magnetism. 

She reminded herself that this guy was a bully who had to be taken care of. Maggie popped her claws and prepared to subdue the guy for good. 

Creed wasn't sure what woke him. he lay still, keeping the rhythm of his breathing steady. There it was again... someone was in the room with him, yet he wasn't sure of her intentions. He could smell her arousal and at the same time her dislike... Those were the best kind of partners. 

Maggie thought that the sound of his breathing changed a little, so she froze at the edge of the bed. She was taken by complete surprise as a heavy hand swept out and pinned her slender form beneath his heavy male body. 

**Lady_Yann**

**_~Cara and Jamar's Apartment~_**

Jamar stood at the edge of the room fuming over the sights before him. _/I can't believe Magneto and that whack job Arac...Eric. Aack! I don't care what he calls himself! I can't believe they are in our house... but I trust Cara, so it'll be alright./_ He goes and gives Cara a hug, not quite realizing that he'd just synched her multiplying ability. A tingle rushes up their spines. 

"Honey, will you go and see what the kids are up to?" 

"Sure thing I'll be back in a flash." A sour look crosses her face and he gives her a lopsided grin before replying, "I'll just walk." He says as he heads toward their room. 

**_~In Cara and Jamar's Room~_**

What're ya gonna do with that?" asked Robbie. 

Kat grinned. "You've seen the X-Men show on t.v., right? Did you ever wonder what the professor would look like if he had Storm's hair?" 

Little Mac was intrigued. "No, what would he look like?" he asked. 

Kat grinned mischievously, and turned on the computer. She pressed a few keys, and they were in. Kat opened the X-Men picture files, and the editor, and started messing around. 

_**~*~*~*~*~*~**_

Jamar enters the room to see the kids gathered around the computer screen. 

"And this is what he'd look like with Blink's hair. Oh, Hi Unca Jar Jar." Kat looks up at Jamar and gives him her most innocent expression. 

Robbie and Mac are having a hard time suppressing their giggles. They keep looking back at the computer screen, and start to laugh again. 

"What are you kids up to?" Jamar asks as he walks over to view the screen. After seeing it, he begins laughing. Kat stares at her uncle for a while before she asks, "Unca Jar Jar, what happened to your eyes? Do they hurt?" Just then he remembered his eyes were not their usual brown, but were now swirling vortexes of rainbow light. 

"They're okay, hon. it's just a little trick I picked up a couple years ago." 

Jamar begins reminiscing about being a kid, and how much fun he and Kat's father Creed had during his stay at the mansion. Kat pulls him outta his thoughts by tugging on his jacket. 

"Unca Jar Jar, will you play with us?" She asks, followed by a chorus of little voices. 

"I'd love to..." He inclines his head to the side as if listening to something unseen. 

_**Jedi! I need you to meet me outside in a few minutes... we have some business to take care of.**_ Amanda's voice says in his head. 

_/It must be big if she's using codenames, plus it wasn't a team summons either. So what do I do now?/_ The tingling he felt earlier grows worse. "Kit Kat, I'll be right back, okay?" 

"Okay." She says as she gives him a Cara special. 

**_~Outside the room~_**

Jamar steps out, realizing he's picked up an aura and didn't know it. He concentrates, trying to pinpoint whose it is. He smiles moments later... he is standing face to face with himself, also wearing the same infamous smile. There's something different about the double, but he doesn't have time to figure it out as he ushers the double back into the room and leaves to meet Amanda, a.k.a Delphi. 

_**~ Back in the room ~**_

"I told you I'd be back. You kids wanna see a trick? Kat, come here." Jamar places a hand on her forehead and suddenly disappears. Standing before Kat is now a young boy about her age, with long bluish-white hair and the same rainbow eyes as her uncle. 

"Who are you, and where's Unca Jar Jar?" She asks. 

"I'm Logan Jamal, but everyone calls me L.J. Yer uncle had ta go, but he said that I could play with you guys," He says, giving her a lopsided grin. 

Kat had a funny feeling as he grabbed her hand and they all went back to the computer. 

**_

~ Outside the Loft ~

_**

Delphi waited with the others as Jedi came out. Zeklos, doing his wraith thing, appeared out of thin air. "'First One', we must talk." 

"Later Zek, we have things to take care of." 

The small group looks around to see if anyone is watching. Jamar pleased at finally getting to use his Teleportation ability ports them all away. 

**Chaos**

Jamar teleported the group to the hotel that Amanda stashed Creed at. The group looked around to make sure no one saw them arrive, and then began walking up the stairs to the room. 

"This is it," Amanda stated, and brought out the key. 

Ryan was smiling at the thought of having her Victor back. She knew he was a good man, and soon everything would be ok. She wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted her eyes. Creed was rolling around the bed with the same bitch from earlier. Everyone gasped in shock and Eric being empathic could feel Ryan's rage. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. One minute the woman was trying to kill him, and the next she was trying to sleep with him. Ryan nearly cried when she saw the lust in Victors eyes, they held a look that she thought was once solely reserved for her. 

"VICTOR! How could you!?!?!" Flashes of Ryan's past went through her head. The time she caught the first man she thought she loved went flashing through her mind. "YOU ASS!!!" Ryan screamed. She was near hysterics. 

Victor's eyes cleared as he saw Ryan crying and screaming at him. He didn't understand why she was so upset with him being with this woman. He didn't understand what was going on But there was something so familiar about this woman. He just couldn't put his finger on it. 

**Le Fae**


	7. Chapter Seven

Title: Welcome To Reality  
Authors: AC, Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel Characters belong to Marvel Comics. All non-Marvel Characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome To Reality-Chapter Seven**

"That's it," stated Amanda as she sent out a psychic blast that knocked out every non-telepath in the room. Jamar and Eric looked at her in shock. 

"Why did you do that?" asked Eric. 

"Because I didn't want to live through another episode of Jerry Springer. Ryan is furious, Victor's confused, Maggie is lost, and I have a headache. Now I want you two to tie Victor down... in fact, tie them all down. We have to hurry. Xavier is going to figure this out and freak. Logan is going to kill me once he and the other girl wake up from the bolt I gave them." Amanda stated as she started to tie down Victor. 

Jamar looked at Amanda and asked, "What's up, fearless leader. Something has got you uptight." 

"It's just that something, or rather someone, is coming who is going to make Anon look like a walk in the park... and I'm responsible for its existence." 

"What are you talking about?" asked Eric, who was now paying attention to the conversation. 

"I created this villain that can destroy the X-men, and I think, no I'm almost certain that Anon has found a way to bring him to life. When I had that headache, I heard its voice." 

"This is not good." stated Jamar. 

"You're telling me. It's going to take all of us to defeat this monster, if we can. In fact, I think it's the reason more mutants are popping up." 

"It looks like it hasn't been a good week for you. Do you think Charles will be upset about you helping out?" asked Jamar. 

"Yes. He's upset that Magneto and I get along. I swear I feel like I'm in a soap opera." stated Amanda. 

"Well, that's why you're the leader. You do all the worrying for us and get all the cheesy plots. Though I must admit, it would be nice to see you, Xavier and Magneto in one of those triangle things." stated Jamar humorously while Eric laughed outright. 

"Funny, Jedi. Real funny. I already have one of those going on now. Look, let's fix Victor and gather the others and figure out what to do." 

"Yessir." replied Jamar and Eric smiling. 

I liked it better when they were at each others throats, Amanda thought. This is worse than writing one of those day in the life storylines. 

**AC**

**_~The Loft, Earlier~_**

Cara waited in the living room for Jamar. She had asked him to check on the kids, but several minutes had passed, and he still hadn't returned. She decided to go in search of him, and the kids. Cara found Robbie, Mac and Kat in her and Jamar's bedroom, playing on the computer. 

Well, at least they're alive, and not into mischief, she thought to herself. 

She smiled, and went over to see what they were doing. When she looked at the computer screen, her eyes got big and round as she stared at a picture of Xavier with Beast's fur. She started to laugh. 

Well, not MUCH mischief anyway... I just hope the X-Men don't ever see this... they'd never forgive us. she thought as she finally brought her laughter under control. 

She smiled at Kat and asked, "Have you seen Unca Jar Jar?" 

"Yeah, he had to go somewhere, but he said L.J. could play with us." Kat replied. 

"L.J.? Who is L.J.?" Cara asked the little girl. 

"He's L.J.!" Kat exclaimed, pointing at the young boy who had just reentered the bedroom from the bathroom. 

Cara stared in amazement at the young boy. He was about nine years old, with the same swirling rainbow eyes and bluish white hair as Jamar. 

"What on earth???" Cara exclaimed, her eyes huge and round. 

The boy looked up at her and grinned a lopsided grin, reminiscent of Jamar's. "Hi, Mom! I'm Logan Jamal, everyone calls me L.J." He said. 

"M-M-M-Mom?!" stuttered the confused Cara. 

Robbie, Mac and Kat all giggled at the strange expression on Cara's face. 

"What do you mean, 'Mom'?" Cara asked. Then Cara remembered the tingling sensation that had passed down her spine when Jamar hugged her. He must have synched my multiplying ability. L. J. is his double! she realized with shock. 

~Yep.~ said L.J. into her mind. He ran over to her and hugged her, then grabbed Kat's hand and motioned for Robbie and Mac to follow him. 

"We're going to go play...if ya wanna play too, you've gotta catch up with us. See ya later, Mom!" yelled L.J. over his shoulder as the group ran giggling out the bedroom door. 

"HEY! KIDS!!! COME BACK!" yelled Cara, as she went to follow them. When she got out to the hallway, she couldn't see them anywhere. 

She heard giggling from one of the other rooms. She could feel laughter and anticipation coming from the children. 

Oh, I know what they're up to! she thought as she smiled and crept over to the door. 

"A HA! Gotch'a!" Cara said as she quickly reached in behind the open door and grabbed onto a little person who immediately shrieked, giggled, and tried to squirm out of her grasp. 

"Hi, Robbie!" Cara said, smiling down at the little one she held in her arms. 

Robbie giggled and said, "Now get Mac! He's in there!" he said, pointing to another room. 

"I am NOT!" said Mac, from the very room that Robbie was pointing at. 

Cara grinned and put Robbie down. He immediately ran and hid in another room. Cara went in search of Mac, then L.J., and Kat...and thus started a long, exhausting game of hide and seek. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

After a few hours of hide and seek with the kids, Cara put them all to bed, then sat down exhausted in her living room. 

What a day! she thought to herself. After so many years of uncertainty, we finally know that what happened in the X-Verse actually happened. 

Just then there was a knock on the door. Cara got up to answer it. Jamie Madrox stood out in the hallway, grinning from ear-to-ear, and holding of all things a softball. 

"Hey, Big Bro! I've been wanting to say hi to you all day, but things have been so wild. So, How have you been?" Cara exclaimed with joy, as she gave him a big Cara Speciality Bear Hug. 

Cara grabbed his hand, and dragged him inside the apartment over to the couch. Jamie laughed, and sat down. 

"I've been doing pretty good...so many things have happened over the past year, that I don't even know where to begin. It's so good to see you, kid...though I guess I can't really call you that anymore. How old are you now?" Jamie asked. 

"Twenty-three. Can you believe it? Though I still feel the same I did when I went over to the X-Verse. I still act the same too." Cara said, and grinned. "Immature for my age...I don't know how Jamar put's up with me." 

"Twenty-Three? Wow, time really does pass by differently in different universes. One year in our universe has passed since you all left. It looks like five have passed by here. So, you're married to Jamar now, huh? Is he treating you okay? Cause if he isn't, he'll have all members of X-Force and X-Men raining down on his head. In fact, I think I might have to give my new bro a talking to." Jamie said with a mishcievous gleam in his eyes. 

Cara gave him the look, and said, "Bro, if you do anything to Jamar, I'll..." 

"Oh, I'm not going to hurt him...I just want to make sure that he's treating my sis right." Jamie responded, trying to look innocent, and failing miserably. 

Cara laughed, and they started talking some more. While they were thus absorbed, Cara didn't notice the kids tiptoeing past the living room, and exiting the apartment. 

**Rainfall**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Leilee and Gambit walked out of the kitchen hand in hand. They had stayed in there for 3 hours, talking out their problems. Suddenly, Leilee's stomach growled. 

"Are you hungry, chere?" 

Leilee nodded. "I was so busy, I didn't get a chance to eat." 

Remy walked over to the fridge and started pulling out food for Leilee to eat. She sat and stared at him from behind. He hadn't changed at all. He was still gorgeous. 

Remy turned slightly to look at her. "Enjoying the view?" 

"Yup." 

Remy walked over with an omelette, a fork and a glass of milk. "Good. Hate to think you forgot me."he grinned as he bent over 

Leilee grinned. "Never," she said as she kissed him. 

"EWWWWW....." came several voices from the doorway. 

Leilee blushed as she and Remy turned to see the kids standing in the doorway. Remy sighed heavily and Leilee stood up and walked over to the kids. "Where is everyone? 

"I don't know." said Kat. 

Leilee checked her watch. "Well it's one o'clock in the morning. Time for bed. All of you." 

The kids moaned and groaned, but by 1:15, they were in bed and asleep. She tiptoed back down to the living room and spotted Remy on the couch. "Now. Where were we?" 

**Leilee**

**_~The Motel~_**

Jamar, Eric, and Amanda had succeeded in getting everyone tied up. Amanda had gotten the room next door and put the unconscious Ryan and Maggie in it. Eric got the unfortunate task of watching them. Amanda told him it was his way of making up for what he did to the others. Eric though he hadn't done anything to bad to warrant this punishment. 

Jamar had set up a psychic shield to prevent Charles, Sammi, Cara and any other telepath from sensing their presence. Amanda started to map out Victor's mind to find out where his real memories were kept. Unfortunately, his mind was replaying the last few minutes in vivid detail. 

_/You must remain focused in here. His mind is very dangerous and you are still weak, fair lady./_ warned Azmaru. 

_/You should not be risking your mind so early after a great battle. It is foolish,/_ huffed Thanagar. 

_/You would do the same thing in heartbeat for a friend, Thanagar./_ Amanda mentally stated to her dragon guardian. _/I'm trying to focus, Azmaru, but those images are very vivid and distracting./_

_/Yes, I am aware of it , my lady. We both had to deal with some vivid memories that you have enjoyed reliving./_ teased Azmaru. 

_/Thanks, I needed to know that. Could you to help me find the blockade to Victor's real memories?/_

With Thanagar and Azmaru's help, Amanda was able to locate the blockage. It took the form of a giant wall. Amanda knew she was too weak to do it alone. She needed help. 

_/Jedi, I need you to use the force to help me./_ called Amanda. 

**AC**

**_~Back at the loft~_**

Athena cuddled closer to Bobby in the guest room. 

"I missed you so much. I was so scared when the boys were born. I needed you with me. Now that you're here, I'll never let you go." She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. 

"From now on, where I go you go." Bobby squeezed her tightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I wish I could have been. I've missed so much. I won't make that mistake again. Next time we have children I will be there." He said before kissing her. 

"Bobby, I'm worried about the boys, I think I should send them back to Nashville. I don't want them to get hurt in all of this chaos. I want to send them to my friend, Mishka." Athena told Bobby quietly. 

"I don't want to be away from them." Bobby said, with a tear in his eye. "I want them with us. I know that it's dangerous, I just don't want to miss one more minute with them. However, you're right, it's for the best. We'll send them in the morning." Bobby finally agreed. 

They just lay there in silence, holding onto one another for dear life. Neither one wanting to ruin the moment. 

**snowbaby**

**_~SABRETOOTH'S MIND~_**

"How may I be of service, oh fearless one?" 

"We must try to get through this blockade and ascertain what has happened to Creed." 

"Do or do not, there is no try!" Jedi spouts off with a grin as he bombards the wall with raw psionic power. Delphi joins in, hammering it with psychic energy. 

"It doesn't wanna give. It seems to be absorbing our power and strengthening the defensive perimeter around Creed." 

"Dammit. Maybe we're handling this the wrong way. Maybe instead of battering it down, we should be finding a way around or through." 

"What are you talking about, saying open sesame or something?" 

"Well...I've got an idea." Jedi step up to the wall and gently raps upon it. A glowing white line traces a rectangle across it and a hole burns through it. 

"Whoah!" 

There's a bright flash, and they fall through into a swirling kaleidoscope of Creed's memories and emotions. 

**Chaos**

"Whoa!" mutters Jamar as he gazes at the variety of images before him. 

"This is amazing! I can't believe he has seen so much," whispered Amanda. 

"Do you see what I see?" asked Jamar. 

Amanda turned around to look at what Jamar was gazing at. Suddenly she was at the Weapon X base, watching the various experiments taking place. It would seem that they had found the stolen memories from that event. As they listen, they learn the truth about Weapon X, and Sammi and Logan's separation. 

"I can't believe that's what happened." whispered Jamar. 

"I know. I can't wait to tell Sammi, Logan, and Victor. They have always wanted the truth, but first we have to get the memories back." 

"I don't think I can allow that. It would ruin my fun. After all, I like it when you suffer," stated a deadly familiar voice. 

Jamar and Amanda turned around to see the last person they ever wanted to see again... Anon. Amanda brought her weapons up as Jamar readied himself for an attack. They both knew they had a difficult fight ahead if they wanted to save their friend, and themselves. 

**AC**

"What do you want, witch?" Jamar's words coming out, dripping with venom. 

"What I always want, young Jedi. For you and your friends to suffer, and then die." 

"Not this day or any other. We won't roll over and die for you in any world!" Amanda yells as she slashes with the twin psimaters she'd conjured up. 

"Hey, Anon, you must be dense. We're members of the X-family and we don't die for nobody." Jedi's Scythe blazes up as he charges Anon. The flaming blade arcs down, and is repelled by a web of black lightning. 

"Your pitiful attempts to hurt me are laughable. I've learned much in the last 10 years." 

Ten years, how can that be? Amanda wonders. 

"Well, I guess you _can_ teach an old b*tch new tricks." 

_/Hey, Jedi, this is not a good time to drive her over the edge. We're not on the Astral Plane. We're inside Creed's head. We can't afford to lose him again this early in the game./_

_/Gotcha boss, so how 'bout we delay this fight a bit? I got an idea. When I give you the word, replay the emotions triggered by our water fight, okay?/_

Jamar goes in head first, hacking and slashing at Anon who only smiles, feeding off of his dark emotions. Jamar whirls, kicking her across the face. She steps back, TK'ing him back, but not before he flings his spear at her. _**/NOW!!!/**_ The positive emotions slam into her while she fends off the spear. 

The emotions hit, staggering her, making her psychic form waver. Amanda takes the opportunity to blast Anon's psionic anchor to Sabretooth away, and she disappears. 

**Chaos**

**_~The Loft~_**

As the others were taking care of Sabertooth, Sammi and Jonas walked up to the roof. They stood there looking at the moon and bright and full it was even with the red haze over it. 

"There's blood on the moon." Sammi said matter of factly. 

"Trouble's not far away." Jonas said. He knew what Blood on the moon meant. Over the years Sammi had grew in her powers as a witch and he was right by her. He had just about the same knowledge as she did. He helped her with the spells when she needed it, which wasn't that often. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Sammi say, "What was that?" She sounded worried, so he quickly put his arm around her. 

"What's wrong?" Jonas asked, getting a little scared. 

"I don't know. I just heard a small voice in my head. Like a telepathic message." She said, wrapping her arms around him. 

"What did it say?" He asked. 

"Trouble's coming." She said and continued as she turned her face to his, "But It called me Mommy." 

_/Mommy, you have to be careful./_ One small little voice said. 

_/Darkness is coming, and It's very powerful./_ Another little voice said. 

"Jonas, There are two of them." Sammi said as a tear slid down her face. 

Jonas kissed her cheek and said, "Will you let me in, so I can hear them?" 

Sammi nodded. Jonas leaned his forehead against hers and let his mind wander into hers. He did it once long ago, when she told him about everything after they met face to face. Back then he was surprised that she let him, but when he got in her head and saw all of their memories, he knew why she had let him. Because she had loved him through all of her lives, and would love for the rest of them as well. 

That's when he realized that she was his soul mate, and he was so happy that he finally found her again. That night he made her the same vow he did that night in the Marvel universe, when he was in dragon form and she still never left his side. He vowed to Love her and Protect her for the rest of his life, and beyond. 

As he entered her mind, he felt the other two presences. "Who are you?" He asked them as their Astral forms started to take shape. Before him stood a little boy that reminded him of himself, and a little girl that looked just like Sammi. 

"I'm Josephine, and this," she motioned to the little boy, "Is Alexander." 

Jonas was taken back, those were the names that him and Sammi had agreed upon for the baby... but there was only one, right? 

The little boy looked at him and asked, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" 

Jonas was taken back again. The boy had Sammi's protectiveness, and the girl was passively standing back watching and waiting, just like he did, unless someone was in danger. 

"I'm Jonas. And I should be asking you, what you're doing here?" Jonas asked, standing his ground. 

"We're protecting her." The little girl said, moving her arm around in a circle. 

"Are you protecting Sammi? Why?" Jonas asked, feeling a little confused. 

The little girl giggled and said, "Because, she's our mother." 

Again Jonas was taken back, "Your mother? You're our Baby?" He asked. 

"Babies, Thank you very much." The boy said sarcastically. 

Jonas laughed. "You sound just like your mother." 

"Wait, I know that laugh." The little girl said taking a few steps towards Jonas. She looked at him closely. "You're our daddy." She said happily and wrapped her arms around his leg. 

The little boy skeptically walked closer, then he too wrapped his arms around Jonas's other leg. "Daddy!" He said. 

Jonas kneeled down as they let go and looked at them both and said, "My love is having twins." 

He hugged them again as he heard Sammi voice behind them saying, "Boy, are Rogue and my dad going to have a field day with this." 

"Mommy!" The kids shouted happily as they ran towards her, and she kneeled down to hug them. 

"My babies. I thought I dreamt you." Sammi said as she held them. 

"You dreamt about them?" Jonas asked, walking over to them. 

"Yep. Mommy always reads us to sleep." Joey said as she walked over to Jonas. "Will you come and read to us now, too?" She asked. 

"Of Course." He leaned down and hugged her. 

After a few moments, Joey got serious again. She pulled away form Jonas and looked at Sammi as Alex came to her side. 

"Trouble is coming, mommy." Joey said. 

"I know sweety, but mommy and Daddy and our friends are going to handle it." Sammi said. 

"No, not that one.. the other one." Alex said. "The one that only wants you." 

"What is this trouble?" Sammi asked, trying not to let her worry show in her voice. Jonas saw it in her eyes and he knew. 

"We don't know.."Joey started. 

"We just know that it's a mean lady, and she wants you, mommy." Sammi looked up to Jonas and said, "Anon." He nodded his head. 

Alex ran over to Sammi and hugged her with a death grip and Joey ran to Jonas and did the same. Sammi was trying to calm Alex down when she felt it. She looked at Jonas and said, "Something's happening. I can't move my body." 

Jonas tried and said, "Neither can I. And yet, it feels like were being moved." 

"What are we going to do?" Sammi asked. 

"We have to stay here. We're safe here." Jonas said as he picked Joey up and walked over to Sammi and kneeled down next to her. 

He looked at Sammi and mouthed, "I love you." 

Sammi mouthed back,"I love you, too." 

And they stayed like that, holding each other, all four of them. 

**_~Above the Loft~_**

Warren was flying in circles above the loft. He was trying to figure out why he was brought to Vision X's home world. He heard Hope's explanation, but he couldn't figure out how it applied to him. 

**_~Flashback, Marvel Universe~_**

Warren was walking around the grounds thinking about everything. His life, Vision X, and his relationship with Besty. He'd loved her once, but lately she had started playing games and he hated that. He finally reached a decision. That night he broke up with her, and by the next morning she was gone to parts unknown. 

Two weeks later, Warren was back outside, thinking, doubting his decision. Then all of a sudden a holographic image of Sammi appeared in front of him. 

"What are you doing here?" He asked it. 

"I left a message for you, too. Something I had to tell you." She said, and the image smiled. "It's guarded by a passcode, but I'm going to tell it to you because I know that you'll never get it. It's Wings." And the image disappeared. 

Why would Sammi leave me a message? He wondered. Well, I might as well find out. 

"Wings." He said, and the image came back. 

"I know you're probably wondering why I left a message for you. Well, You were one of the first X-Men I liked, besides Bobby. This goes way back to when Jamar and I were in the same foster home. I already gave Bobby his message when I saw him with Athena. So, here's yours." She smiled again and continued. 

"You deserve to be happy, and Besty will only bring you pain. I care too much to see you go through that, so I have to stick my nose in. You are a really great guy and I know there is someone out there perfect for you. And I know you'll be as happy as I am with Jonas." She walked over and gave him a hug and said in his ear," I love you, Warren. Never doubt yourself." And with that she faded away. 

"Oh, one more thing, Thanks for the assist." Her voice said, and then it was gone. 

**_~Present~_**

Warren remembered that Sammi saved him from one of the worst mistakes he could ever make. And he realized that lately he had been thinking about her, and how much he had come to care for her in just a short time. She was one of the only people who ever told him flat out what was wrong, and what was right. 

He was brought out of his thoughts as a flash of light hit his eyes. He flew closer to where the light came from, then he saw what it was... the street light was reflecting off of Sammi necklace. Sammi and Jonas were standing still as statues on the rooftop, and a portal had opened up bedside them. Two very ugly goons came out of it and picked them up. Sammi had saved him once, and now Warren was going to return the favor. 

He increased his speed as he headed for the roof, but a blast of light and energy hit him, throwing him into the building next door. As his body hit with sickly thud, his last thoughts were that he had failed her and that Wolverine was going to kill him. He slid to the ground as unconsciousness overtook him. 

**_~Inside the Loft~_**

Rogue was watching from one of the windows, when she saw Warren go flying into the next building next door. She was horrified as she heard the thud and saw Warren's body slide limply to the ground. 

She yelled for Hank as she flew out of the window. She landed next to him as he passed out. 

"Warren, hold on. Hank's coming. I can't lose you, Please wake up." Rogue pleaded. 

"Rogue?" Warren said weakly as he came around. 

"Yeah, its me. What happened?" She asked, relieved that he was talking. 

"Sammi...and...Jonas....They...got...them..." He said as he slipped into unconsciousness again. 

**_~In Sammi's mind~_**

_/Jonas, do you think my connection with Jamar will work?/_ Sammi asked him. 

_/It's worth a try./_ He said, squeezing her tighter. 

Sammi concentrated on Her and Jamar's connection and she added her telepathy to it and called out, _/JAMAR, HELP!!/_

**_~In the NightMare Dimension~_**

Anon walked into a dimly lit room. There was another figure there with its back to her. 

"Father, Your prize has been captured." She said to the figure. 

"Good. Inform the Doctor his new 'patient' is here." The figure said as he turned. In the dimly lit room all that could be seen of him was his white face and the black diamond on his forehead. 

"Everything is falling into place. Soon, Samantha will be ready. And the destruction of the X-Men will be at hand." He laughed evilly. 

**jubilee_79**


	8. Chapter Eight

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story.  
Archiver's Note: I haven't had access to the internet for several months, that's why it took me so long to post this chapter. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Eight**

It was now past one; Jamie had left an hour ago, and the kids were finally back in bed, thanks to Leilee. Cara stood by her window, staring worriedly down at the street below. Jamar still wasn't back. Cara felt lonely without him. 

/Where can he be?/ She wondered. For some reason unknown to her, he had closed the mindlink between them. /Maybe Amanda has him out somewhere on some sort of business, because she isn't here either. But, what kind of business? She didn't tell the team what was going on, but from the emotions I sensed from her, it must be pretty big. Everything is so crazy around here, all of the emotions are flying sky high. It's very disturbing./ 

Cara decided to go up to Sammi's loft, to see how things were going there. Sammi and Jonas's honeymoon had been postponed, and she hoped that things were going okay for them. As she reached the stairway, an extreme wave of angry emotions suddenly crashed down upon her, leaving her gasping for air and writhing on the floor in agony. Cara couldn't pinpoint what had happened, but she remembered that pain from before. 

/Anon.../ Cara thought, as she shuddered. Anon was definitely back, and Cara knew that meant trouble. Cara got up quickly, and ran up the stairs to Sammi's loft. When she reached the door, she burst in, just in time to see Rogue bringing a badly injured Warren Worthington in through the window. 

"Stars and Garters!" exclaimed Hank as he rushed over to take Warren from Rogue. 

"What happened?!" exclaimed Cara as she rushed over to Rogue. 

When she looked into Rogue's flashing green eyes, she knew her worst nightmare had come true. 

"They've got my baby and Sammi...and they're gonna pay if they hurt either one of them," Rogue said as she turned and flew out the window. 

Cara rushed to the window and watched Rogue fly off into the distance. She turned back around at a curse from Hank where he was bending over Warren. He looked over at Cara. 

"Cara, you've just been recruited as a nurse. Get some bandages and--" Hank ordered, and Cara ran off to get the items that he requested. 

**Rainfall**

Hope appeared on the scene. 

"Go help your friends. I shall assist, Hank," Hope told Cara. 

Cara thanked her, then ran out the door in search of Rogue. Hope conjured everything that she thought that Hank would need. 

"Would you like me too--" Hope began, but she was cut off by Hank. 

"Not now, Hope. I have to get his bleeding to stop," Hank told her. 

She knew that he didn't mean to snap at her, but it still hurt her feelings. Poor Warren lay so still, he looked like a broken bird she had once seen. Hope reached out to him, only meaning to smooth the blonde hair back from his sweating forehead. His crystal blue eyes opened and they were pain-filled. She had no control over the power that poured into Warren. Hank stepped back, wide eyed with shock. 

Warren sat up gingerly. 

"Man I feel great!" He fluttered his wings. "Where did Rogue and Cara go?" He asked. 

"To help," Hope muttered in a small voice, watching as Hank began to pick-up the unused bandages. 

"Thanks, Hope," Warren leaned in and kissed her cheek as he took off to help the others. Hope and Hank stayed behind to watch the kids. 

"Are you upset at me?" Hope asked Hank. 

"No. Why should I be upset at you? Seven years of medical school and 4 years residency all undone by a little wiggle of your nose, or a twitch of your fingers," Hank wasn't sure what made him lash out at her. All Hope ever does is help the people that really need her. He just couldn't help himself. A part of him felt threatened. 

**Lady_Yann**

The door of the loft was suddenly flung open. Hank and Hope turned around, only to see a very wet and disgruntled Xavier in his hover chair, coming through the doorway. 

"Don't ask," is all he said, as he went to the guest room to change. 

Magneto entered a short time later, also dripping wet. 

"Don't ask," he said to the gaping Hope and Hank. Then he, too, went to one of the guest rooms to change. 

**Rainfall**

**_~Flashback~_**

The restaurant was suppose to be one of the best in the Bay area. So far it had proven true, Xavier thought as he leisurely glanced around the place. They had a terrific view of the golden gate bridge. 

"Excuse me," Magnus called out to one of the waiters as he passed. 

"This fork is dirty," He told the poor guy as he started to hand him things from the table. 

Xavier sighed. It never failed. In all of the years that Xavier had been friends with Magnus, he never failed to drive the poor unfortunate waiters and waitresses crazy with his demands. Xavier was a little sick of it. He just wanted one meal out that Magnus couldn't find something to pick apart. 

By the time that Magnus had finished, he had sent back a fork, a napkin, the salt shaker that had some salt on the lid, and a water glass. By this time, Xavier no longer had any patience left. Magnus caught the look that his old friend tried to hide. 

"What?" He asked. 

"You never fail," Xavier said in a disgusted tone. 

"Those things were positively disgusting," Magnus said defensively. 

His feelings were a little hurt. After all the years spent in a concentration camp, he just couldn't stand the sight of something dirty at the dinner table. 

"I am sorry IF my eating off a clean dish bothers you so much," Magnus said with dripping sarcasm. 

"They were silly water spots, Magnus. Yet you made it sound like it was that poor person's fault. It's not that you sent them back that I object to... it's your tone," Charles told him. 

"Hi! my name is Kimberly, and tonight's..." She never got a chance to finish her sentence, because the white-haired man turned to frown at her. 

"Do you mind?" Magnus snarled. 

"Uh... sure. I'll just give you guys a few minutes..." She hurried off. 

"See, that is exactly what I am talking about," Charles slammed his fist on the table. "You treated that poor woman like she was beneath you!" Charles was angry now. 

"She WAS beneath me," Magnus snapped back. "She and all her kind are." 

Charles couldn't tell who threw the first blow, but what started out as a pleasant evening ended up with him swimming in the bay. 

**Lady_Yann**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Cara ran out into the dead of night. She had to find out where Rogue was going. 

/Anon...if she has Sammi.../ Cara shuddered at the thought, and ran faster. 

After some time, she stopped by a streetlight and tried to catch her breath. 

"There's no way I'm going to be able to find her on foot. Man, I wish I could fly." She said to herself. 

She was startled by a voice overhead, saying, "Your wish is my command." 

Cara looked up and was surprised to see Warren fly down to her. He scooped her up, and flew into the air. 

"EEP!" Cara said, as she looked wide-eyed down at the street far below them. 

Warren smiled, then his face dropped into a more serious look. "What direction did Rogue fly off to?" he asked. 

Cara pointed the way, then closed her eyes. She was desperately afraid of heights. Warren flew off in the direction Cara pointed, and Cara hung on for dear life. 

/Jamar, luv, I hope you can hear me...Sammi and Jonas are in trouble and need help. Rogue, Wings and I are on our way. Whatever you're doing, wrap it up quick and find us... we're gonna need all the help we can get. And, Hon, It'll be okay if you teleport...just get to us./ she sent a message to Jamar as she and Wings flew off into the night. 

**Rainfall**

**_~The Motel~_**

"Mmmmm…" Ryan moaned in her sleep. Eric eyed her carefully and then darted over to the new girl. 

"Mmmmm…" The new girl moaned as well. Eric wondered what the two of them were dreaming about. Must be good, he thought. 

"VICTOR NO!!!" Ryan screamed and awoke in tears. "No…. no… no.. why?" She sobbed as Eric came over and put his arm around her. "Where is he?" Ryan asked Eric. 

"He is in the other room with Amanda and Jamar. They are trying to bring him back." 

Ryan looked at the new girl sleeping in the bed. Her eyes narrowed, and her expression grew hard. She wanted to kill that woman right now but held herself back. Reason had taken hold of Ryan. She really couldn't blame this girl. She didn't know anything about Victor and Ryan. She had no idea how much they once loved each other. Ryan began to feel tears well up in her eyes again. She thought of the look on Victor's face when she had caught him. He hadn't recognized her, and he was so consumed with this other woman that he didn't even care. Ryan didn't know if he would ever care for her again. 

"I know what you're feeling. Don't worry… I felt the love that you two had… that's real. You two will be together again, I just know you will," Eric said as Ryan cried on his shoulder. 

"I need to get out," Ryan said, standing up. "I can't be around her right now." 

"You can't go in the room with Amanda and Jamar. They need to handle this with no distractions," Eric said. 

Logan had woken up, and heard the last part of the conversation. "It's ok kid. You keep an eye on this one. I'll go for a walk with Ryan. I wanted to talk to her about something anyway." 

Eric reluctantly agreed, and Ryan and Logan walked outside to talk. 

The two walked in silence for some time until the got down to the pier. 

"Look, I know what you're going through, ok? You just need to give it some time," Logan told the girl. 

It was true that he didn't like Creed much, but Creed had been a better man with Ryan. Logan didn't want to see her give up on him. If the love they had was strong enough to make Victor Creed a better person, then it would survive. That's if Ryan didn't give up on him. 

"It just hurts so much, Logan. I mean, if he had gotten a new girlfriend when we were apart, I would have been hurt... but I would have understood. It's just right now when I get him back, some…… girl moves in on him." 

"Don't give up on him. I saw the look in his eyes when he was with her. Its just lust." 

"Well, that makes me feel a whole lot better, Logan. He used to look at me the same way," Ryan said giving Logan a sour look. 

"That's what you think, darlin'. I saw him give you some looks that you never saw. The kind of 'I'm so in love' looks that he tried to hide because he had to be the tough guy. I was almost jealous of it. I don't know what Creed ever did in his life to deserve you, but he is lucky. I know that deep inside somewhere, he knows that." 

Ryan smiled at Logan and took his hand. "We better get back. Thank you... I feel better now." 

**Le Fae**

Amanda was running out of patience. She was so knee deep in trouble, how could she have any possibility of escape? She had to help Victor, save Sammi and Jonas (She had sensed what was happening but had been trapped by Anon's distraction), deal with the X-men being trapped in their world and being stalked by a madman, and had to deal with two grown men acting like children. 

Amanda had left Victor's mind for a second to regroup her powers. Jamar was still trying to reverse the brain washing. Amanda had gone out a different door because she was not looking forward to telling Logan that Anon had his daughter. Overall she was having a bad week. 

/It's going to get worse real soon./ an ominous voice echoed in her mind. 

With a start, Amanda turned around to come face to face with the very monster she had created. He was shielded in armor that was similar to Magneto's, but his was combination black and blood red. He stood about a good two feet taller then Sabretooth, and was twice as big. Amanda could not pick up any thoughts from him and knew that he was blocking her. 

"You're here to keep me from saving Sammi and Jonas, right? They're valuable to Anon, aren't they? Well, mister, I don't care how powerful you are; you are not keep them or destroying the X-men." stated Amanda as she pulled her psychic sword forward. 

The being laughed and replied, /Anon has ordered me to kill you. You interfered for the last time. Once you are dead, the X-men and Vision-X will fall. Anon has the ones she wants./ 

As he said this in her mind, he sent a magnetic pulse towards Amanda, throwing her several feet back. As she tried to get up, she was hit with another blast that tore through her body, reopening her injuries. Amanda knew she was in trouble. This guy was out for blood, and no one could save her. 

**AC**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Ryan and Logan walked back into the hotel room. By the time they got there everyone had woken up. Eric and Maggie had the policewoman gagged, and were sitting down at the table playing cards. Maggie and Ryan shot each other harsh glares, each trying to intimidate the other with their stare. 

"Knock it off girls. The last thing we want is another fight. I'm still more then a little miffed about the mud," Logan said, and then guided Ryan across the room away from Maggie. 

"Mph… grmph… Smph", the policewoman grumbled from behind her gag. Logan walked over to the lady and squatted down until he was eye level with her eyes. 

"If I take this off of you… you're not going to yell or anything like that?" Logan asked the woman, looking in her eyes as she nodded. 

Logan removed the gag and Tina stayed quiet for a moment. "You guys are all under arrest!" Tina then shouted at the top of her lungs. She freed her legs from the chair she was tied to in a split second, and before Logan knew it he was being kicked in the face. 

Everyone jumped into action and headed over to subdue the screaming woman. The scene was complete chaos with legs and arms flying everywhere. No one wanted to use their powers because they didn't want to hurt anyone else. Well, except for Ryan and Maggie... but they weren't even thinking of each other at the moment. Finally Ryan got fed up and decided to take matters into her own hands. She focused her powers on the cop and concentrated. 

As soon as everyone noticed the girl had stopped kicking, they all got up and looked at the floor. Tina's policewoman hat was moving. Logan moved over to pick it up, and underneath the hat was a little turtle. He smiled at Ryan. 

"Thanks…. You know, she's pretty cute like this…" Logan picked up the turtle. "YOUCH!" Logan yelled and dropped the turtle on the bed. "She bit me!" 

**Le Fae**

Everyone looked at the little turtle on the bed as Logan looked at his finger... it was a rather deep cut, but healed up quick. The turtle looked back at everyone... it looked mad; well, as mad as a turtle could look anyway. To everyone's surprise, the turtle sprinted over the edge of the bed, down on the floor and under the bed. 

"Aren't turtles supposed to be slow?" Ryan asked as Logan bent down and reached under the bed. 

"Come here you biting monstrosity," Logan said. 

Maggie looked over at Ryan, suddenly fascinated... had this blonde bimbo done that to the cop? 

"Got you... AHHHHH." Logan yelled as he pulled himself out from under the bed, bleeding from his hand. 

"Damn girl, what kind of killer turtle did you turn her in to?" Logan said as his hand healed up. 

"Oh, I guess they are called snapping turtles," she smiled. 

Everyone in the room looked at Ryan and sighed. 

/Next person to come down here with a hand I'll bite it off./ Tina thought, more angry than scared. 

**Admiral**

**_~Dream Realm~_**

Ymela watches in horror as she sees Amanda in her dire circumstances; she racks her brain wondering what to do. Her "nephew" must not kill Amanda. 

~Hope!! Amanda is in trouble. Get ahold of Magneto, Charles, and anyone else who is not involved in the search for Sammi and Jonas. Do it quick!!~ She telepathically calls to her daughter. 

**_~The Loft~_**

~Yes Mother.~ Hope answers. 

Hope glances over at Hank, who seems to be brooding a little bit. 

"I'll be right back... I need to step outside for just a moment." 

Hank nods, and Hope leaves the room. She startles Remy and Leilee who are on the couch. 

"Sorry to have disturbed you, but there is a problem. Amanda is in trouble," she tells them. 

Leilee sits up very concerned, as well as Remy. "Guess our cuddle time is over, Chere'," His eyes flashing a bit. Leilee nods, a look of worry on her face. 

Hope leaves the two of them alone and goes to find the others. She explains the situation to them. Xavier calls Storm, and Bobby. He is unable to get through to those who are at the motel as his communication is being blocked. Hope then steps outside and forms a small glowing blue ball to see where the others are at. She sees that Teb and Ange are nearing the area where Amanda is. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

An image forms on the dashboard of Teb's car. 

"What the??" Says Teb as she brings the car to a screeching halt. Luckily there wasn't anyone else on the road at the moment. 

"Teb, Ange, you are needed. Amanda is being attacked by a new player in the game this is where she is right now. Hurry, she's in trouble!!" 

Teb is a little startled to see the image on her dashboard, and looks over at Ange. 

Ange looks back at her and then says, "Well Chica, guess someone realized we left." 

Teb nods. Ange leans over and gives her a kiss, she returns it wholeheartedly. 

"Time for us to get back to work" he says after the kiss. Teb nods and heads in the direction that Hope told her to go. 

_**~*~*~*~*~*~**_

Hope walks back inside where the rest of the people are at and opens up a portal; Remy, Leilee, Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops, Jubilee, Maria and Storm wait to step through. 

_**~*~*~*~*~*~**_

Bobby groans as he hears Professor X's summons. He gives Athena a kiss, "Sorry love, guess our little corner of paradise is being invaded. Amanda is in trouble and we are being summoned to the living room." 

"Amanda's in trouble, and we are all being called to help out? This isn't good at all. I'm coming with you, I don't want anything to happen to her," Solitaire says as she gives Bobby a big hug. "And we need to be careful as well. We must make certain that we get the kids off to Mishka." 

She and Bobby step out to where the others are waiting to step through the portal Hope created. Charles tells Hank to stay with Hope and the kids so that they will be protected. Hank agrees to do so. 

Everyone who was summoned to go help Amanda step through the portal, arriving just a little ways away from the combatants. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda's eyes go wide as she sees her creation move towards her. readying another blast to finish her off, he smiles as he aims his hands at her. Amanda moves towards him. Her injuries are too much, she winces as she moves, and can feel the blackness loom towards her. /Mustn't black out not now,/ she tells herself. 

Teb and Ange are the first to arrive. Teb's skin morphs to where there are blades sticking out in various places, not looking very cuddly at the moment. Ange changes as well, and two twin ginsu's rush towards the unsuspecting foe of Amanda's who at the moment seems to be gloating over his victim. 

Amanda lashes out at him at the same time Teb and Ange hit him from behind. He is surprised at the attack from behind, and is bowled over by their attack. He quickly regains his feet in a quick acrobatic movement. He aims a blast at Teb and Ange, blowing them off of their feet. His attention is taken off of Amanda as he moves to attack the new targets. Teb and Ange get up from off the ground a little shaken, somewhat hurt but ready to give him some hurt as well. Just as he gets ready to blast them again, the others arrive. 

The first wave comes through the portal, Maria and ... Banshee! Banshee is surprised to find himself there alongside Maria, but assesses the situation very quickly and both of them scream at the foe. Storm flies through next, calling on her powers to hit him with a bolt of lightning. Magneto attacks him alongside Charles, a common foe to keep their bickering at bay. After them comes Leilee and Remy from another direction, attacking the one who dared to attack Amanda. 

Jubilee and Cyclops attack as well, Jubilee sending her fireworks to blind him. Cyclops blasts him as well, knocking him to one side. Once all of the attacks have gone off, there is a silence as the dust settles down to reveal...him, standing there laughing. He looks over at Amanda, and then the others. 

"I'll be back Amanda, you can count on that." He disappears, laughing. 

The others look at each other in disbelief.../He is a living nightmare.../ 

Magneto moves over and picks up Amanda, stepping through the portal provided. Amanda groans, full of pain as she is taken back to Sammi's place. 

Amanda hears in her mind Anon laughing. 

/Score one for me.. you had to be bailed out. Next time you won't be so lucky.../ 

Teb and Ange go back to her car to continue the journey back to Sammi's. They are hurting from Bozo's attack. He could have hurt them worse, but he seemed to want to play with them. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda was hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness when she heard Anon's taunt. At that moment she knew that this was getting personal. She was going to nail that witch if it was the last thing she did, and she didn't care who she had to go through to do it. 

Both Charles and Amanda's dragon protectors knew that Amanda was furious, and that was not good. They also realized that the fight was getting too personal and too dangerous between the two. 

As Magneto carried Amanda towards Hank, Xavier noticed that Amanda was leaning a little to close to Magneto. This was the second time Magneto had helped her, and Xavier was concerned that she was starting to get attached to him. He also noticed how careful and concerned Magneto was around Amanda. Charles was definitely going to have to have a talk with his friend as soon as he was sure Amanda was alright. 

"Where are Logan, Jamar, Sammi and the others.?" Asked Xavier. 

"Sammi and Jonas were taken by Anon. Logan, Jamar, Eric and Ryan are helping Victor back at the hotel. If you make one comment about me working with Sabretooth, Charles, I'll wipe your mind so clean that you could eat off it." warned Amanda as Magneto set her on the bed. 

Magneto laughed, "Must be quite an experience for you, Charles, to know there is a telepath that can do to you what you do to others. You have my respect, Amanda. You do not let him get on his superior pedestal." 

"Now is not the time to share your views on what you think I do wrong, Eric," hissed Xavier. 

"Oh, really. What are you going to do about it, Charles?" challenged Magneto. 

Amanda turned towards Beast and Hope and whispered, "Help me. I already dealt with a twisted version of Onslaught. I don't want to watch how it all came about." 

She closed her eyes at that and prayed that the pain would go away. Before she lost consciousness, she sent out a message to Jonas. /Don't worry. I'll find you. I won't let you down./ 

To Anon, she sent, /You may have won round one, but by the time I'm finish with you, witch, you'll wish that Sinister never created you./ 

~Really,~ hissed Anon from somewhere on the plane. 

/Just bring it on!/ replied Amanda. 

**AC**

**_~The Motel~_**

Everyone was heading back to the loft, but Sean noticed that Jubilee was lagging behind looking around. He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. 

"What's wrong, lass?" He asked as she turned to him. 

"I haven't seen Sammi in a while, or Jonas for that matter; and I didn't get the chance to talk to her. I'm getting worried. You know Sammi; where there's trouble, she's there," Jubilee said, still looking around. 

"I know, lass. I'm sure wherever Sammi is, she is alright. Why don't you go and talk to Logan?" Sean said, trying to cheer her up. 

"Alright." Jubilee said as she headed for the motel room. She turned to Sean and said, "By the way, Thanks." She smiled and continued to the room. 

She didn't knock when she got there because the door was open a little. So she pushed it open more and walked inside. She looked around and saw Ryan and Wolvie talking. On the other side of the room was a boy and a girl she didn't reconize. She walked in more and caught Logan wiping the blood off his finger. She went over to him and asked, "What happened?" 

"A turtle bit me, darlin'. What are you doing here?" He asked, looking at her. She should be at the loft, especially with Creed in the next room. 

"Looking for you. Has anyone seen Sammi or Jonas?" She asked, looking around the room. 

"Who? That girl with the 'tude and that dragon thing?" Maggie asked nastily. 

Jubilee glared at her; whoever she was, she just made a big mistake. 

"Excuse me? You do not talk about My sister and her husband that way, bub," Jubilee said, getting angry. 

Eric knew that Jubilee was getting angry; and since there was no telling what she or Maggie would do to each other, he decided to step in. 

"Why don't we just worry about the turtle for now? Sammi and Jonas can take care of themselves. We'll ask the others when we get to the loft. OK?" he said. 

Jubilee looked at the boy and then at Maggie, and with a cold glare said,"Fine." Then she turned to Ryan and Logan and asked, "What turtle?" 

**jubilee_79**

"Let me try," Ryan said, motioning for Logan to get out of the way. 

She morphed into a diamond hard image of herself and crawled under the bed after the turtle. Ryan reemerged from under the bed with the turtle in her hand. 

"Do we have something to put her in," Ryan asked the room of people, "Or should I just morph hot pants over there into a cardboard box?" 

"Wow, with a comment like that, I take it back; you're not Barbie... you're Skipper! Just try it, peroxide-for-brains, and they will be putting YOU in a cardboard box!" Maggie responded to Ryan's less than witty remark. 

"Hey, let me hold it!" Jubilee whined to Ryan and took the turtle from her. 

Maggie and Ryan glared at each other, and everyone thought another fight might break out. At least until Logan began to do handstands in the room. 

"Logan, what are you doing? This is no time to be doing Yoga," Ryan said, looking disbelievingly at Logan. 

"I ain't doing this, darlin'." Logan said as his feet returned to the floor. 

Suddenly Logan began to hit himself with his own hands. Just as suddenly, Ryan flew into the air and slammed against the ceiling. Eric tried to protect Maggie from the unseen attacker, but he and she both got shoved into the bathroom, the door promptly slamming behind them. The only person left standing in the room is Jubilee who is holding the turtle. 

"Wow! What the heck is going on?" Jubilee said, and began laughing as Logan grabbed himself by the scruff of his neck and pulled himself to the floor. 

He was now pounding his head into the floor of the hotel room."This ain't funny, Jubes!" Logan yelled at Jubilee. "Ryan, I got a feeling our turtle is behind this! Morph her back!" 

Ryan did as she was told, and the cop was now standing in front of Jubilee. 

She looked more then just a little mad. "Like I was saying. You are all under arrest!" 

**Le Fae**


	9. Chapter Nine

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**

Welcome to Reality-Chapter Nine

**

Jubilee looked at the police woman and said, "Ok, I'm lost. Who are you?" 

Tina looked at the girl. "I'm Tina MacQuire. And Everyone is under arrest." 

"You already said that about fifty times." Logan said, sizing her up. He could take her if he had to, that he was sure of. What he wasn't sure of was whether he wanted to or not. 

"Listen, I don't know who you people are, but the longer you stand here the more charges get added." Tina said, eyeing Logan. /He deserved more than that bite./ She thought. 

Jubilee looked at the officer and asked, "Did you do that before?" 

Tina looked at the girl, shocked. The way she talked and acted, she reminded her of Sammi. Tina remembered when she was in turtle form that this girl was very gentle as she held her. Tina couldn't help but like her. 

"Yes. Can I ask you something?" Tina asked. 

"Shoot." Jubilee said. 

Ryan and Logan went and leaned against the bathroom door, which Maggie and Eric were pounding on. 

"I heard you mention a girl named Sammi and her husband Jonas, and you said that she was your sister. Does she live about a block away from here?" Tina asked. 

"Yep. She lives in a Warehouse that she owns. Why?" Jubilee asked, a little confused as to why this officer was asking about Sammi. 

"I thought so." Tina said. She looked closer at Ryan and asked, "You were one of the bridesmaids, right?" 

"Yeah, how did you know?" Ryan asked, this was getting weirder. 

"I was at the wedding. I'm Tina. I grew up with Sammi when she was living at the mall, and we shared an apartment when we were old enough," Tina said. 

"Geeze. Is there anyone Sammi doesn't know?" Jubilee said, but mostly to herself. 

Tina heard her and laughed. "That's just Sammi. She makes friends with everyone. So, who are you?" Tina asked, looking at Logan. 

Logan looked at her and said, "I'm Sammi's father." 

Tina was surprised. She knew about Sammi's parents, so how could this guy be her father? 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~Elsewhere~_**

Warren and Cara flew for a long while, trying without success to find Sammi and Jonas. Cara, however, was able to pick up on Rogue's empathic signature, and they went in search of her. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

CRASH!!! BOOM!!! CREEEEEEAAAAAKK!!!!! CRAAACKKKKSSSHHEHEEEE!!!! 

A horrible, thunderous sound filled the air. Cara and Wings flew in the direction it was coming from. It led them to a deserted, condemned part of the city, where there were old buildings waiting to be demolished. And Rogue was standing in the midst of what used to be one of the buildings. She flew across the street to another building, and began pummeling it as well. 

Cara and Wings touched down not far from her, and ran over to her. 

"STOP! Rogue, what are you doing?" Cara exclaimed. 

Rogue stopped trashing the building and looked at Cara with despair in her eyes. 

"I failed him, Cara. I can't find either one of 'em." Rogue said, as tears began to form in her eyes. 

Cara reached out with her empathic powers, searching as far and wide as she could. She could not find any trace of Sammi and Jonas. Just then... 

~Cara, Rogue, and Warren, please report back to the loft. We all need to regroup and plan.~ the voice of the Professor entered their minds. 

Rogue sighed, then flew into the air. Cara was just about to hitch a ride with Wings once again, when Rogue suddenly scooped her up and flew off with her. 

"Come on, Wings, I'll race ya," was all Rogue said to the startled Warren. 

Cara grinned. She knew what Rogue was feeling. She was Jealous! 

/Rogue, I'm a happily married woman...there's nothing to be jealous about. Don't you know that Wings loves you? Well, you'll know it soon enough...don't want to spoil anything by telling you now./ Cara thought, as the three of them flew back to the loft. 

**Rainfall**

**_~SABRETOOTH'S MIND~_**

Jamar listens to the mental chatter going on around him. His head aches from all the information. 

/Come on J. you're spreading yourself too thin here. Pull yourself together. You'll do noone any good if you break down. I don't know how the Gamemaster does it. / 

"What's wrong little Jedi, gettin' a headache?" 

"What do you want witch? I don't appreciate you messing with my family." 

/Come on J. she's not here; she's thought-casting and trying to distract you. Just lock your mind down. / 

The taunting words of Anon dissipate and are replaced by a sound somewhere between a cackle and a roar. Three large beasts begin baring down on Jamar, intending to maul him. He rolls out of the way and brings his blades across the side of one of the creatures, felling it in one stroke. 

"I've gotta get this done with before I become a shish kabob. There's a whole lot of hatred and pain in here, and it's coming from these beasts." The griffin-like beast charges again, catching Jamar's side... but not before he grabs the beast and barbecues it alive. 

/One more./ 

A glimmer of light catches his eye as the third creature breaths fire at him. "That's not bad, but how about one from a pro?" Jamar says as he launches a Dragonball Z style fireball at the creature, torching it. 

"CREED, COME OUT... I'M TIRED OF THE ENTERTAINMENT AND I DON'T HAVE TIME TO SPARE." 

A battered and bruised Sabretooth falls out of the carcass of the third beast. It's charred remains falling from Creed in great hunks of ash and roasted meat. 

"KID, WHAT THE HELL'S GOIN ON HERE, AND WHY THE HELL ARE YOU IN MY HEAD, AND WHO THE HELL RAN ME OVER…." 

Jamar just laughed. /Same ole Creed. / 

After listening to several more lines of cusswords in several different languages describing the situation, he stopped Creed. "We've gotta go Creed, something's up." 

Sabretooth didn't argue. He opened his eyes just as Jamar returned to his own body. The manacles keeping him from moving flew off with a quick tk jerk. 

[[Jamar!]] The sounds of Sammi and Cara calling his name began overlapping within his mind. /I'm on my way guys, and I'm bring reinforcements./ 

In a flash, Creed, Jedi, and any members of Vis-X and X-Men in the area teleported back to the Loft. 

**Chaos**

When Jamar transported everyone to the loft, that also included Tina and Maggie. 

Tina looked around. "What the hell? We're at Sammi's!" 

"That's right, darlin'." Logan said as he looked at everyone in the living room. He didn't see Sammi or Jonas, so he asked,"Alright? Where's my kid?" 

**jubilee_79**

"Uh...dad... you're not going to like the answer to that one." Jamar says. 

"What do you mean, son?" Logan's eyes fill with pain and anger as he stares down Jamar, who can't help but flinch from the intensity of the gaze. 

A voice fills the room, followed by the presence of Zeklos. "Mr. Logan, approximately an hour or so ago, Fire Fox and Dragon were captured by the enemy." 

"She's okay, dad... but she ain't happy." 

Rogue calms down just enough to ask, "How can you be sure?" 

Jamar glances over at Cara and Amanda, and they nod at him. 

"Because I am connected to every member of my family, and I hold a passive contact with the rest of the teams. And right now I'm getting quite the headache trying to shield myself from 'everyone's' thoughts." 

Xavier sat watching the scene and Amanda as his mind began to mull over the way Jamar had said 'EVERYONE'S THOUGHTS'. /Could he be omnipathic?/ he wonders. One look into Amanda's eyes tells him all he needs to know. 

Jamar staggers over to the couch and is joined by Cara, Ryan, and Creed. Ryan, who was keeping her distance from Creed, moves in closer to Jamar. 

Sabretooth's eyes drifted over to Ryan. She was familiar. He knew her name. He knew she was important somehow. /What could it be?/ "Is there something wrong, frail?" 

Ryan feels as though her heart is being squeezed as she remembers all of the times he's said that to her while holding her close. She begins to tremble as the words come out slowly. 

"Uhh...V.victor, we need to talk." She stands up and leaves the room. 

Jamar smiles weakly as he shields them from the others, and he passes out into blissful sleep. 

**Chaos**

Maggie could feel the dull ache behind her eyes increase to a pound. She found herself surrounded by a bunch of hostile people, and all because she stuck her nose where it didn't belong. She had enough aggravations for the night. First she gets into a knockout, drag down fight with some over-muscled, homicidal nut bar. Then she is dragged into a catfight with some blonde bimbo, that was an even bigger nut-bar then her boyfriend was. 

For the first time in her life, Maggie had been dragged into a hair-pulling contest. That ended with some cigar-smoking shrimp getting in her way. She gets her ass out of that just to find that these wakkos are planning to keep tall dark and gruesome in a hotel. She only wanted to make sure that the mad man wasn't going to hurt anyone else, and nearly got raped for her efforts. She had been knocked out, hog-tied, and locked in a hotel bathroom. She has had enough. 

If she can just find her backpack and guitar case, she is outta there. She had $49.63 to her name, and that should be enough to get some food and her clothes washed. Now if she could just figure out why the hell she was in Frisco instead of up-state New York, she would be all right. 

"Where do ya think yer going?" the shrimp barked at her. 

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. 

"I am getting as far away from the nutty bimbo and her lunatic boyfriend and friends as I can get," Maggie snarled. 

"I have been accused of trying to screw him," she gestured towards Creed. "Dragged into the mud, knocked out, and hog-tied in a bathroom. My backpack with all my stuff in it is missing, and my guitar has grown legs and walked off. I was supposed to be headed for this fancy boarding school in up-state New York, and instead I ended up in Frisco. I am having a really, really, bad day. So unless you're planning to stop me, get the hell outta my way, shorty!" 

**Lady_Yann**

"Mommy, you're home!" Kat said, running into the living room of the loft. "I was worried about you Mommy, you've been gone so long." 

"I'm sorry, Scrappy girl, but Mommy had something she needed to do. You didn't get into too much trouble while I was gone, right?" Ryan said, hugging her daughter. 

"Nope… Just ask Auntie Cara … I was a perfect little angel." 

"Scrappy??" Victor asked questioningly and walked over to the little girl. 

Ryan picked Kat up protectively; she didn't want Victor to hurt her. 

"It's ok, Ryan. His memory isn't completely fixed, but it's back. In fact, little things are going to trigger his memories. A few weeks and he should be fine." Jamar said, smiling at Ryan. He wanted her to be happy again so bad. She was so sad without Victor, and now she had a chance at happiness again. 

Victor looked at the little girl in the face. There is something so familiar about her, he thought. 

"Hi Daddy, are you all better now?" Kat asked looking up to her father. Everyone stared in shock, because she had never been told about him before. 

"Kat, how do you know he's your Daddy?" Ryan asked her daughter. 

"Because he smells a little like me, Mommy…. Just like Auntie Sammi and Uncle Logan do and they are father and daughter." Kat said smiling at her Mom. Then she looked back to her Dad. "So are you ok now, Daddy?" 

"I will be soon enough, pup." 

"Good enough," Kat said, and then leapt from her mother's arms into her father's. 

Victor was very stiff at first and didn't know what to do. Victors face held a look of sheer terror. He gradually relaxed into the hug and held his daughter tight. 

Maggie rolled her eyes, "Great... I tried to kill some kid's dad!" 

Maggie watched the scene unfold. No wonder Barbie was so rude to me. That guy not only doesn't remember her, but he is also the father of her baby, she thought. She began to think that perhaps those two really did deserve each other. 

**Le Fae**

Ryan put Kat back to bed and walked up to the roof with Victor. She looked at him, standing as far away as possible. Ryan was still afraid to get close to him. 

"I didn't know I was pregnant with Kat when I left. The last battle I mean. I didn't know I was pregnant with her then, or else I would have never gone." She said as her eyes welled up with tears. All she really wanted to do was run to him and kiss him, but she held back. He hurt her; unknowingly true, but he still hurt her. 

Victor's mind flashed back. He remembered being in tunnels and seeing Ryan being pulled. The fear of someone hurting her came rushing back to him. 

"I was frozen by that psycho chick, the one that nearly turned Cara to stone. She did the same thing to me. I woke up and didn't remember much…I remember hating you a lot." Victor said as he pieced together the last real memories he had of Ryan. 

She felt like someone had ripped out her heart. Ryan wanted to run away and cry more then anything at that moment. Victor could smell her tears; he didn't want to make her cry. He walked over to her and pulled her closer to him. 

"I don't anymore, frail. It was all fake, but this is real." He said and then lifted her chin and kissed her. 

Ryan pulled back from the kiss. "I can't do this yet. Victor, I just caught you rolling around in bed with that woman in there." Ryan said pointing to the loft. 

"So what? I was rolling around in beds with a lot of women when we were apart. I barely remember you, frail, and I certainly didn't remember you then. You can't hold that against me." 

SMACK!! Ryan slapped Victor as hard as she could. "When you are ready to act like a human being with feelings instead of an animal again, come talk to me. Until then I don't want to see you." With that Ryan turned and went back inside. 

**_~Flashback~_**

"I love you Victor." Ryan said, beaming up at someone who she thought was the most wonderful man in the world. 

"You're just saying that because you like the sex." Victor said smirking down to her. She is so beautiful and wonderful, he thought. 

"That's only part of it. Promise me something." 

"You could get me to promise you the world right now." 

"Well I don't want the world.. I just want you. Promise me that when I leave, you won't believe them anymore." 

"Believe who?" 

"Everyone who says you're nothing but an animal. You're not… you're a human being with feelings…and one of the most caring people I have ever met." 

"I love you frail…. I promise." 

**_~End Flashback~_**

Victor shuddered at the memory. He wanted to hold onto that moment forever. The moment Ryan made him feel like a man and not an animal. She was the only one who ever saw him as something more, and now he was losing that. What am I gonna do, he thought. 

**Le Fae**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Tina had gone home, changed and came back. She didn't know what was going on, but if Sammi was in trouble she wanted to help. Tina just didn't think the San Francisco Police department needed to be involved with the problem. She looked around the room and saw that girl Ryan walking towards her in near tears. When Ryan saw her, she wiped her eyes and smiled at Tina. 

"Look, I'm sorry for turning you into a turtle." 

"It's ok… just don't do it again. Besides, you seem to have some other things on your mind right now." Tina said to the girl. 

"Just some family problems." 

"Excuse me ladies." Hank interjected. "I was wondering if I could get a blood sample from our dear Officer MacQuire. It seems you have an uncanny mutant ability and we need to make sure you aren't a Summers." 

"What the?" Tina asked as she eyed the blue furry mutant. She leaned over to Ryan and asked "Is it tame?" 

"I assure you, my lady, that I am quite tame and mean you no harm." 

"It's ok, Tina. Hank is a friend. He just wants to check your DNA." Ryan gave Tina a lopsided grin. 

"Alright." Tina said, eyeing Hank. 

Hank took the blood sample and went to run some tests. While he was doing that, Ryan and Tina began to talk. They talked about their childhood and their likes and dislikes. They found out they had a lot in common. It turns out that Tina was abandoned as a child, but she really didn't know why. That's how she met Sammi. The two had lived on the streets of San Fran together. Ryan herself was abandoned by her parents, but was sent to live with other relatives in LA. 

"You know it's funny... we almost even look alike." Tina said. "Except that you have long hair and mine is shorter and more of a strawberry blonde." 

"Interesting you should say that, Officer MacQuire" Beast said as he walked up to the girls. "I have found something unusual in your test results. It would seem you are not a Summers... thank your stars for that little blessing... but you are in fact Ryan's sister." 

"What?" Both girls said at the same time. 

"DNA does not lie. ladies. The genes are the same. You are twins, in fact; although you are not identical." 

"Family resemblance is uncanny," Logan said as he walked up to the girls with a smirk on his face. 

"Shove it, shorty," Tina said to Logan, "This is none of your business." 

"When it involves people I'm close to, I make it my business." Logan really didn't believe it was any of his business either, but he wasn't going to let her off easy with a comment like that. 

**Le Fae**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda had quietly been listening to the conversation on the roof, and waited for Ryan to leave before she went up. She saw Victor staring out at the lights and could feel his heartache. This was worse than any soap opera on TV. 

"She'll forgive you. You just need to give her time and space. Her mind knows it wasn't you, and so does her heart. It's everything else that is telling her otherwise." stated Amanda. 

"You look like hell, frail." stated Victor. 

"Well, I was manhandled by you, and attacked by a monster I created. I also have a psychopathic witch stealing my team members and making my life hell. Oh, did I add the fact that my boyfriend and Magneto are acting like preschoolers?" 

"Sorry I asked...... I'm sorry about..." 

"Don't. I know it wasn't you. That's what good about having dragons in your head; they help you keep your facts straight." 

"You know Anon hates you. I could tell from the last time, and seein' ya now only confirms it. The witch wants blood." informed Victor, who was surprised to be forgiven so easily. 

"I want some myself." 

"What are you doin' outta bed anyway, frail. Ya should be restin'." 

"I had to escape the soap opera of my life. I need to get away from all the noise. Don't worry, Charles will know I'm missing in a few seconds and come after me. He is awfully protective of me." 

"I can relate." 

"Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to see if I can locate Sammi and Jonas. Maybe I"ll get lucky and go one on one with that witch on the astral plane." Amanda stated as she sat down and focused her powers. 

Victor was about to leave, but decided to stay. He needed to think, and Amanda needed protection. What she had said about Ryan made sense, and he thought about his reaction to the dream he had experienced. Sometimes your heart isn't the strongest voice you hear when reason wants you to believe something else. He needed to figure out what to do. He knew that protecting Amanda now would make up for his attack on her. He just wished that it would be that simple with Ryan. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Once Hank leaves, Hope quietly makes her way to the roof where Amanda and Victor are. She didn't feel like being around Hank when she performed her magic. 

/Hank is a good doctor, but he didn't have to get snappish with me. All I was trying to do is help./ 

Victor looks at her when she approaches, then he moves to her and softly asks so as to not disturb Amanda. 

"Whatcha want, Frail? Can't you see this is a private conversation?" 

Hope stiffens, hearing the tone in his voice, then she feels a surge of anger well up inside. She stamps it down, not wanting things to get ugly. Victor catches the change of her scent and her body language, and knows she is a little angry. 

"I came here to heal Amanda completely; if you don't like it Mr. Creed, deal with it. All I want to do is help. If you want her to have a fighting chance against Anon, get out of my way." She answers quietly. Her eyes flash, and her face is flushed with agitation. 

Victor thinks about toying with her, but decides not to. 

"Then hurry up, frail; do your deed, then leave," he growls softly as he moves back to Amanda's side. 

Hope moves up behind Amanda. Carefully, not wanting to disturb her, Hope puts a hand on Amanda's shoulder. She closes her eyes and focuses in her mind Amanda fully healed. Amanda feels a tingly sensation go throughout her body, it almost breaking her concentration in her search for Sammi and Jonas. The pain leaves as the wounds she has taken disappear. She can feel her mind become more clearer and sharper, no longer clouded with pain. She even feels a bit of calmness which gives her a brief respite from the storm within. Amanda then feels Hope leave. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Hope goes back downstairs, feeling a bit tired after all that she had done. She had been very busy helping others. 

/I need to take a walk for some air to clear my head/ she thinks as she heads outside. 

She runs into Hank as she goes out; he notices that she is a little pale and he realizes what she's been doing. 

"Hope, you really need to quit trying to do everything on your own. One of these days you are going to suffer a burnout, then where will everyone be when that happens? There are other people who are quite capable of looking out after the sick and injured as well." 

"Oh, so you don't like the fact that I can help people just a bit faster than you can? All I am trying to do is to help, is that a crime, Hank? I wasn't trying to take the spotlight from you. I'm sorry that I am making you feel useless. I wasn't trying to.. I thought you knew better." 

Hope rubs her head, as she feels a very bad headache coming on. Hank sees her expression of pain and he moves towards her, concerned. Hope shoves him away. 

"I don't need your help.. You don't want my help. Why don't you just go to Hades!!" 

"My dear Lady, I am all ready there!!!!" he growls. 

Hope, barely able to see through the white fire of her headache, looks in horror to see Hank's face distort in a fit of rage. 

"Hank, NO!!!!!!" she screams as he approaches her, his hands reaching out to grab her, crush her in his arms. 

Pain sears through her head so intensely, so agonizingly, she screams once more... then she slumps, a trickle of blood leaking from her nose. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Athena, hearing Hope's screams, rushes outside along with Bobby. Others follow. There they find Hank holding Hope in his arms, a small trickle of blood coming from her nose. 

Leilee looks at the situation at hand. 

"This doesn't look good." she says, summing up the situation in those four words. 

Everyone looks at Beast, not knowing what to think. Tina moves over and looks the situation over. 

"It looks like he's going to have to come with me downtown." She says, pulling out a pair of cuffs and moving over to Hank. 

Bobby takes the limp form of Hope from him, and places her gently on the couch. 

Hank looks bewildered at Hope, shaking his head. "But I didn't do anything to her." He says, allowing himself to be handcuffed. 

Tina reads Hank his rights as he stands quietly. 

"This is going to have to be sorted out downtown," Tina replies as she heads for the door. 

**_~On The Roof~_**

As Amanda continues her search for Jonas and Sammi, she receives a message for her alone. 

~Score!!!~ says a voice so hated and familiar. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

"What are the charges?" Asks Teb, as she and Ange come to the door looking perplexed at what they were seeing. 

Tina looks at them, then back at the others inside, "Either assault or murder, depending if she is alive." 

Bobby puts his ear near Hope's mouth. 

"She's still breathing, but I'm no doctor so I don't know what condition she is in," he replies. 

**Dreamweaver**

"It doesn't matter yet. He's coming downtown with me." Tina replied as she dragged a bewildered Hank with her. 

~That will be enough, madam. You have caused me enough trouble today.~ replied a strong, assertive voice. 

"Who said that?" demanded Tina of the crowd around her, while everyone else looked at her if she were nuts. 

~I'm speaking in your mind as many others here can do. I'm a mutant just like you and everyone else here. I was trying to find some missing friends, but your scene is preventing me from doing so.~ 

"But this...this... gentleman assaulted the lady." stated Tina, bewildered, while everyone else started to figure out what was going on. 

~No, he did not. Now you have two choices. One, you take off the cuffs go inside and wait like a good little girl. The second is that I blow up your police car.~ 

"You wouldn't dare." Challenged Tina. 

"Dare what?" whispered Magneto to Xavier. 

Xavier, who had heard the conversation, sent out a telepathic command, ~Move away from the car.~ As everyone obeyed Xavier's command, Hank having to pull Tina, a psychic arrow sped passed them towards Tina's car. The car was engulfed in blue light for a second, and then exploded. Everyone stood in silence. Slowly Tina removed the cuffs. 

~Now if you would all go inside for a second and behave, I might be able to find Sammi and Jonas.~ stated Amanda in a dangerously sweet voice. 

Magneto turned towards Xavier with a questioning look. In a matter of seconds, everyone else was looking at him with the same look. 

"I am surprised that I have to remind you of her temper. After what she has been through in the last few hours, I suggest we do what she asked." explained Xavier as he headed inside. 

**A.C.**


	10. Chapter Ten

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Ten**

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

Jonas held onto Sammi for dear life... hoping to protect her and their unborn children. What happened, who did this and why? Jonas lifted his head up, knowing that this could be the last moment... knowing that there was no way to fight this... 

Looking into Sammi's eyes, he said, "Sammi, I love you. Whatever happens, remember that." 

Then they both felt it; it was as if someone had started to tear Jonas out of Sammi's mind. They both screamed... Jonas grabbed her hand and held onto it like a lifeline. There was a snap and everything went black... and for a moment Jonas remembered the void from when he died... but soon he found that he was far from being that lucky. 

"Hello little Dragon... want to feel pain?" 

The next second, the nightmarish people started their sadistic game... and Jonas was their toy. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

"Where is he, Foul Creature?" Thor screamed as he hauled the small nightmarish creature up from the ground. He positioned his hammer under its jaw. "Tell me where I can find Sinister... or thou shall know my wrath up on thee." 

The creature was shaking... never had a human been able to handle him like that. 

"TELL ME!" Thor yelled, and then he threw the small creature away into a wall. 

He had been hunting Sinister ever since he killed Jonas... he had hunted him across hundreds of dimensions, but he would never stop. Sinister was afraid of him, and here he had been able to find allies. 

The nightmare realm creature saw a moment of hesitation in the big man and used it. He threw his magic spear at Thor. 

"Foolish being." Thor said and waved it away. "You are no match for the god of thunder." 

He hurled his hammer against the creature and the wall behind him. It smashed threw them both. 

"By Odin!?" Thor gasped. 

On the other side, in a magical circle, lay the man he had long tried to avenge... Jonas. Thor rushed to his side. 

"Easy... I would never have dared to hope..." Thor said as he removed Jonas restraints... Jonas was badly hurt. 

Jonas grabbed onto Thor's shoulder. "My life don't... matter." Jonas gasped for air as he felt himself slip away from the protective magical circle... it had kept him alive through the nightmare creatures torture. "Promise me that you'll save Sammi and... Our children... promise me!" Jonas fell back and rested his head on the ground. "I failed them... but maybe you..." the earth around Jonas enveloped him, and he was gone... 

"I promised thou I would avenge thy death... but I have now a greater task." Thor stood up... 

"SINISTER! PRAY TO THY GOD THAT THE CHILDREN HAVE NOT BEEN HARMED!" Thor screamed, and made his way through the nightmare realm. Nothing was going to stand in his way. 

**Admiral**

**_~Cara and Jamar's Apartment~_**

Jamar lay in his bed, barely breathing as he sleeps, drifting within his own mind. The sounds around him are nothing compared with what's going on within. 

/Things are bad./ He witnesses the attack on Hope. /They're getting outta hand real quick./ The police car explodes, shrapnel going everywhere. /I thought I was the only hothead of the group. Amanda, what are you thinking?/ 

~SCORE~ 

/Hmmmmm!? I know that voice./ 

"Witch, what are you doing?" 

"Having a bit of fun. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you. I have something special in store for you." 

Several images appear in a semicircle before him. One was clad in armor resembling Magneto's; the second wearing a black hooded shroud, holding a scythe; and the final image was of a shadow with red eyes. 

"What's wrong, Jamar. Don't recognize some friends of yours?" 

"What kinda game are you playing? I've never..." 

The shroud drops from the man's face, revealing someone he thought never to see again. 

"Kyle? It can't be. He's...." 

"Dead? Far from it. He never merged with you... well, not completely. The side that my father liked stayed with me. Father liked him so much, he decided to add him to the group." 

Kyle sends out a blast, ripping into Jamar's chest. "I'm gonna have lots of fun with little Sammi and Dragon Boy. Unpleasant dreams, brother." 

The images dissolve. 

Jamar awakes, gasping for air. /AMANDA!!!!/ 

/What is it Jamar?/ she asks, having a hard time maintaining contact with Jamar through the waves of anger and hatred. 

He doesn't answer. He just downloads the entire dream into her mind. Her breath comes in rigid gasps. 

/AMANDA, I CAN FEEL SAMMI, AND SHE'S IN PAIN./ 

**Chaos**

Cara watched through the window of her apartment in silence. She and Jamie had helped Jamar to his bed, then Jamie had gone back to the loft to see what he could do to help. Cara was exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, so she stayed in her apartment. 

So many were hurting, and she didn't know how to help them. Just as she helplessly watched her friends be attacked mercilessly in their minds the eve of the last battle with Sinister, so she helplessly watched them now. 

She thought of Sammi and Jonas. Instead of them spending time together in Paris as they should, they were spending their honeymoon as prey to Sinister and his evil plans in an unknown realm. 

Hope had been attacked by the one man who would do anything to protect her. Cara's own husband was in extreme pain, and in order to protect Cara, he had shut her out of his mind. Cara didn't know what she could do to help him... to help any of them. 

/So many have been hurt... too many. How long will this go on before there is an end?/ Cara thought. 

~Longer than you can go on, little one.~ a silvery voice filled Cara's head. 

/Anon, what are you up to now?/ Cara thought with fear. 

A sudden burst of extreme anger, hatred and pain crashed down on Cara... it came from the direction of her and Jamar's bedroom. Cara tried to go to the bedroom, but she was frozen in place. She couldn't move, couldn't speak... she could do nothing. 

/Anon, why are you doing this? There is no reason to cause them pain. Why are you doing this?/ Cara pleaded with Anon. 

~No reason, little one? Oh, there is a reason... or have you forgotten? All those years ago, you felt what I felt. You knew what happened to me, what I once was, and what I am now. You know WHY I do this! For survival. Don't play self righteous with me. If you had gone through what I went through, you would do the same, and you know it. But it would seem that you need a reminder.~ Anon said into Cara's mind. 

/What do you mean, a reminder? What are you going to do?/ Cara thought fearfully. 

In answer, Cara felt an extreme earth-shattering pain as her essence was ripped from her body and thrust out onto the psychic plane, face to face with the cloaked figure of her worst nightmare... Anon. 

"Centuries ago, I was the guardian of all things pure. All emotions, including love and hope. I was never happier than when others were happy, but that all changed." 

"How did it change, Anon?" Cara asked. 

"My son was captured by Sinister. I went to rescue him, but failed and was weakened in my attempt. Sinister captured me, changed me. I could no longer feel what I once felt. I could only feel negative emotions and pain. I need them to survive!" 

As Anon spoke of her son, Cara noticed her tone of voice soften and become almost human. But with the last sentence, her voice once again became hard and angry. Cara jerked in surprise and shock as Anon suddenly threw off her dark cloak, and Cara saw her. She gasped in shock at what stood before her... a five foot eleven inch cat-like creature with distorted facial features, and covering her was a layer of fine silverish fur. 

"Look at me, little one... LOOK AT WHAT I'VE BECOME!" Anon shouted as she advanced towards Cara. 

Cara tried to move, but couldn't. Just as her body had been frozen in place, so it was with her essence. She watched helplessly as Anon came to stand face to face with her... then gasped in pain as Anon brought her hands up to Cara's face. Anon's fur was sharp, sharper than diamonds or adamantium, and could shred at the slightest touch. Tears and blood ran down Cara's cheeks as Anon's fur cut into her face. 

"Does it hurt, little one?" Anon mocked Cara, "You've no idea what pain is... but you will. Feel what I feel, little one. Feel what I feel..." Anon said, as she began to infuse Cara with the centuries of pain and hatred which she had had to feed off of. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

While her essence was on the psychic plane, Cara's body had remained standing, frozen into place by Anon. When Anon began to infuse Cara's essence with her pain, Cara's body let out a long terrible scream, which shattered everything glass in her apartment with its intensity. Cara's body slumped down to the ground unconscious, blood dripping from her nose and mouth onto the carpet. 

~SCORE~ Anon sent a message to Amanda. 

**Rainfall**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Ryan and Tina had talked for hours catching up on old times. They had missed so much of each other's lives and wanted to make up for it. Ryan told Tina about her ex boyfriends, and how she had gotten in trouble with the law a while back. Tina laughed and told her that she couldn't do anything like that anymore. 

"I think I am going to bed now." Ryan said to Tina. "Good night Sis!" Ryan and Tina hugged, and then Ryan headed upstairs to go to bed. 

Tina headed to the kitchen to get herself something to drink. When she got there, Logan was making a cup of coffee. Oh great just what I need, Tina thought. 

"What the hell do you want?" Logan asked, eyeing the girl. Great, he thought, I finally find some peace and quiet and she's here to bug me. 

"Look, fur ball, I am in no mood to deal with you right now." Tina said. "I am worried about Sammi " 

"Me too... but that don't give you the right to go around arresting someone with no cause." Logan responded. 

"No cause!" Tina exclaimed. "You have got to be kidding me. They guy was caught in the act. And you stop trying to tell me how to do my job, buddy. I know what I'm doing." 

"Yeah, you know exactly what you're doing. You're causing problems for my friends!" 

As both Tina and Logan raised their voices, a sleepy little Kat walked into the room. 

"Uncle Logan, could you please stop shouting? I think we have had enough of that today." Kat then turned around and walked back out of the kitchen. 

"We will continue this later," Logan said, eyeing Tina. 

"No we won't. I don't have to justify my actions to you." Tina turned and left the room. 

**Le Fae**

**_~The Astral Plane~_**

Anon laughed as she watched Cara suffer in pain. She already had Sammi and Jonas where she wanted them, and had made sure that none of the others could find them. All she had to do was finish these two, and everything else would fall apart. The X-men would fall by the hands of her new son, and the rest of Vision X would fall to their own petty differences. 

Suddenly Cara and Jamar's essences faded from the plane. Anon screamed in disbelief and tried to find them. Suddenly she realized that she could not locate any of Vision X or the X-men. It was as if they had disappeared. 

"You know, witch, that it is not a good idea to gloat over people... especially when you have finished what you were doing." sneered Amanda who appeared before her. 

"But how could you?" demanded Anon furiously. 

"You're not the only powerful telepath here. Thanks for the tip about Sammi and Jonas. Now that I know we have to defeat you first, I won't waste my time searching for them. Besides, I think you have seriously underestimated them, but that is a mistake you'll live to see." stated Amanda as she drew forth a psychic sword. 

"Have we not danced this dance before, my dear? Must I remind you that you will not have your good witch or your dragon freak to help you? This time when I send your essence all over the plane, no one will be able to save you. In fact, this time I will do it myself." Anon stated as she created her own sword. 

"I've learned a lot since the last time... and I can assure you, Anon, that I'm not going to let you use my team or my fears to distract me. This time it's just you and me." 

As the two telepaths locked swords, Amanda sent out a message to Jamar. 

/Stay out of this, and keep the others safe./ 

She prayed that the Jedi would listen for a change. 

**A.C.**

**_~Ryan's Apartment~_**

Ryan woke in the middle of the night. Ever since she and Victor had separated, she had problems sleeping. She couldn't get used to not having his large warm body lying next to her. She got up from bed and walked to Kat's room; she was fast asleep. Ryan walked back up to the roof. She stopped when she saw Victor and Amanda. 

She walked to the other side of the roof and sat down. Ryan was so confused. She wanted to be with Victor and have him hold her close and tell her it was all going to be ok. 

Victor saw Ryan walk to the other side of the roof and felt his heart beat a little faster. He wanted to run over to her and tell her how sorry he was and how much he loved her. Something kept him back, maybe it was pride or maybe he was just stubborn. 

Maggie walked up to the roof for a cigarette, and then wished she hadn't. She looked to her left and then to her right, the nut cases surrounded her. Great, she thought, just what I needed... I'm right in the middle of them again. She saw Ryan taking little peeks in Victor's direction when he wasn't looking, and saw Victor doing the same. These two are nauseating, Maggie thought. 

Maggie fished around in her pocket for a light, but couldn't find one. She saw Ryan smoking, so she decided to brave the nutcase and ask her for a light. 

Ryan glared at Maggie, but let the look fall. She was too tired to do this now. "Sure no problem." Ryan said and handed her a lighter. 

Maggie knew she might regret it, but she asked anyway, "So I heard the problem behind you and… Victor. I would think you guys would be all kissing and making up right now. What's the problem?" 

"It's complicated. " 

"What's so complicated? The guy has his memories stolen so he doesn't remember you and does some dumb stuff. So get your butt in gear and just go talk to the guy. Before you have some competition for his affections." 

Ryan's eyes widened and she nearly started to yell at Maggie. That was until she saw Maggie smile and arch her eyebrow. She knew what she was doing. She was giving Ryan the kick in the butt she needed to go over and talk to Victor. "Thank you," Ryan said and smiled at Maggie. Maybe she's not so bad after all. Maggie stubbed out her cigarette and walked back inside. 

As Ryan approached Victor, he visibly stiffened. He didn't want to get into another fight with her. When Ryan got close to him, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him passionately. "We can work it out right?" She said when they broke the kiss. 

"We'll make it work frail." Victor said and kissed her again. 

**Le Fae**

**_~Cara and Jamar's Apartment~_**

Cara's eyes snapped open as she realized she was back in the real world. She heard Jamar in her mind asking if she was all right. She felt slightly strange, but otherwise fine. As she tried to get up, she felt someone helping her and was startled to see it was Hope. 

"Are you all right?" asked Hope. 

"I was about to ask you the same." stated Cara. 

"I am better." Hope simply stated as more of the X-men came rushing in. 

"We heard screamin' and thought Maria was in trouble... then we discovered it was ya, darlin'," stated Logan. 

Hank rushed to her side, carefully avoiding Hope, and asked, "What happened?" 

"I went to check on Jamar and could sense his hostiliy, and then I ended up face to face with Anon and then...." Cara choppily explained. 

"It was Amanda," interrupted Jamar as everyone turned towards him, " She pulled us both off the astral plane away from Anon. She told me to keep everyone off." 

Charles blanched as he remembered what happened the last time those two fought. He remembered the fear of almost losing her. He knew that this fight was getting way to personal and he had to save her before she got killed. 

"It's no good, Charles. I tried to get on, but both of them are sealing it off. This is one fight that we're all sitting out of." stated Jamar. 

Leilee came rushing with Gambit and said, " We've got trouble. That big ugly nightmare is doing a number on a local mall. He already threw five cop cars into the bay." 

"It would seem Anon is making sure we do not interfere, regardless of whether we want to or not." Stated Storm. 

"We have no choice. We cannot allow this creature to harm innocent civilians. Jamar, can you...." Xavier asked. 

"No problem. Just round up the troops," stated Jamar as the others followed him outside. 

"Just one problem, Xavier." Stated Magneto quietly to Charles, "How do we defeat a creature that is more than our equal?" 

Xavier did not have an answer for his old friend. 

**A.C.**

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

Sammi was in pain. So much pain, first from being separated from Jonas and now she was giving birth and going to be separated from her babies. Alex had already been born, and one of the nightmare creatures was holding him. He was crying, and Sammi was trying to calm him telepathically, /Alex, It'll be ok. I'll find you. I promise./ Sammi felt another contraction and she had to push. 

When Joey came out, another nightmare creature started to carry her towards the door. Sammi quickly telepathically sent, /Joey, Don't forget us, we will find you two again. I promise./ 

Those two nightmare creatures left and there were only two left with Sammi. She could have fought them off, but she was too tired and on the verge of passing out. Just then she heard a loud bang and moved her head to the side to see a huge whole in the wall. And standing in the middle of the hole was Thor. 

Thor stepped into the room and quickly took care of the two remaining nightmare creatures. He then ran to Sammi's side. She was still to weak to talk, so she telepathically told him, /I'll be fine, just go after my babies./ She pointed towards the door and passed out. 

Thor leaned down and kissed her forehead and said, "I vowed to Jonas that I would protect you and the children. And I vow to you as soon as I get the kids to safety, I will be back for you." He took off, running the way that the nightmare creatures had taken the kids. 

**_~An Hour Later~_**

Sammi woke up because she felt that she was being carried. She turned and looked at who was carrying her, and almost passed out again. 

"Kyle!!" She screamed as she struggled to get free of his grasp. 

"Now, Sis. Is that any way to treat an old friend?" Kyle said as he grinned evilly. 

He punched her hard across the face and she was knocked out again. 

**_~Two Hours Later~_**

Sammi awoke again, but this time it was because of the pain. It went completely through her body, right down to her bones. As she looked around, she saw that she was in a tank with some kind of liquid in it. She saw metal tubes connected to her body and she wanted to scream... but she couldn't. She knew what they were doing to her. She had seen the exact same set-up in the comics. It was from when they bonded the Adamantium to Wolverine's bones... and now they were doing it to her. 

"SHE'S AWAKE!! That's impossible!" Dr. Cornelius said looking amazed at Sammi. 

"Not impossible. Logan woke up when you did the procedure on him." Sinister said from behind the doctor. 

"Yes, but it took him over two hours. We only just got her in the tank." The doctor said. 

"Well, she is his daughter... and you're the one who messed with her DNA to make her better. And now that she is, I don't see the problem." Sinister said, walking over to the tank. 

Sammi's eyes grew huge as she saw him. 

"She's the girl. What about the boy?" The doctor asked, remembering the experiment. 

"He's of no importance!" Sinister snapped. "Just do your job!" 

Sinister looked back at the tank and said, "Soon, my sweet. You'll be mine." He grinned and laughed evilly at the look of terror which crossed Sammi's face. 

**jubilee_79**

**_~The Astral Plane~_**

The battle between the two telepaths was amazing. They used their powers in ways no one had ever dreamed of. The plane was filled with energy. Psychic swords could be heard clashing throughout the plane. 

"You'll never save them. Sammi and her children will belong to Sinister. The X-men will be destroyed. I will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are dead." taunted Anon. 

"You haven't won yet, witch." returned Amanda. 

"The X-men are walking into a trap. I will kill you at the same time your creation will kill them." 

"Just shut up and fight." 

"You seem to be upset. Am I making you angry? I'm sooooooo sorry." Anon taunted. 

"That's it, witch. You are going to die. Then I'm going to kill that monster. Then I'm taking out Sinister!" 

"Well, let's see if you can live up to that boast, my dear." challenged Anon as she went to strike Amanda again. 

**A.C.**

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

Sammi was scared. No, that wasn't right. She was terrified, with Sinister looking at her like that. She could read lips so she knew everything that was said, and she wished that she didn't. She saw the doctor mention a boy. So, does that mean that I have a brother? She wondered. Then she saw something that scared her even more. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Dr. Cornelius walked over to Sinister and asked, "If she's the girl, Which one is she?" 

Sinister turned and looked at the doctor. "She's the one that Gateway took to Alpha Earth. She's the one that you boosted her DNA. She's the one that will destroy the X-Men and her team mates. She's my finest creation." 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Sammi couldn't take the pain anymore and she passed out, but not til after she heard about another girl. /Maggie?/ She thought as she slipped into the darkness. 

**_~Hours Later~_**

Sammi woke up again. The pain was almost gone and she found herself on a bed. She slowly sat up, but that brought on a huge headache so she laid back down. 

"Don't move yet. My Love wouldn't want you to injure yourself." A silvery voice said from the darkness. 

"Who are you?" Sammi asked. 

She knew it wasn't Anon. The voice was more calming, but it still sent shivers up Sammi's spine. 

"My dear, I'm Dischord. I'm the one that brought you here." The voice said as the figure walked into the sliver of light that was in the room. 

Sammi saw the cloaked figure step into the light. She looked like Anon, except she was taller and her face held such sadness... but her eyes held nothing. They were like blank pools of darkness. Sammi gasped at the sight. 

"What are you going to do with me?" She asked. 

"You, my dear, are going to join us." Dischord said as she stepped closer. 

"Never!" Sammi spat at her. 

"But, my dear, You don't have a choice. What do you have to live for?" Dischord asked, standing over Sammi. 

"My Children, My Husband, My family." Sammi said. 

Dischord laughed evilly and said, "My dear, They are all dead." 

"No! I know they're not! Thor was..." Sammi started, but was cut off by Dischord. 

"Thor never got to them. He along with the children were killed." 

"No!" Sammi cried. "Jonas." 

"Oh, he was the best. He died within a few moments of being separated from you. It was so easy." Dischord said, and continued to laugh as Sammi cried for her children and her love. 

Sammi tried to reach out with her telepathy to find some shred of hope that Jonas or her children were still alive, but she felt nothing. She had lost them, and it was all her fault. If she had been stronger, she would have been able to help them... save them. But she was too weak. She drifted into the darkness again, lost in her sorrow. 

Dischord looked at Sammi and said,"Soon My dear, you'll be so full of anger and hate that you'll be one of us." 

**jubilee_79**

**_~The Loft~_**

Back at Sammi's loft, everyone was getting ready to head for the mall; but Maggie was staying in the shadows. She didn't know where she was, or why she was sticking around. She had already upset most of these people, but it wasn't her fault; she didn't know. She didn't know anything anymore. 

Maggie was supposed to be in upstate New York, not San Francisco. The short guy that had gotten into the fight between her and Ryan looked like the picture she had of her father; but what would he be doing here? And who was that other girl who popped her claws and yelled at her? She remembered that the girl was protective of the short man, and for that matter the Dragon was protective of the girl. 

Maggie couldn't figure it out. She felt like she knew the girl from somewhere, but she couldn't remember ever meeting her. The girl was taller than Maggie, but her hair was the same color except for the blue streak in it, and that it was longer. But it was her eyes that caught Maggie's attention. They were like looking in a mirror. 

/Who was she?/ She thought, /And will I ever find out?/ 

Maggie snapped out of her thoughts as she smelled the short guy coming. 

"What do you want, now?" She asked as she turned to face him. 

"I wanted to know if you were coming... or are you going?" Logan asked. 

He looked at her, and for the first time he realized how much she looked like Sammi. Maggie was a little shorter, but the eyes and some of the facial features were the same. 

/Who is she?/ He thought. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Maggie saying, "I guess I'm going. There's no reason for me to stay." 

Logan didn't know what to do... all he did know was that this girl had to stay. He had to find out about her and see if there was a connection with her and Sammi. 

"Darlin', I think you should stay. We could use your help. Do you want to?" Logan asked her. 

"Might as well. I don't have any place I'm needed right now." Maggie said. 

She put her bag and guitar case on the sofa and followed Wolverine to meet with the others. 

**jubilee_79**


	11. Chapter Eleven

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Eleven**

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

Sammi awoke again. She felt refreshed and completely back to normal. She sat up and decided that she was going to check out where she was. She moved form the bed and out the door. She saw that she was in a hallway, so she went in the direction that she heard voices coming from. She ended up in a huge throne room; and sitting on one throne was Sinister. She walked over to him. 

"It seems that our Sleeping Beauty has awakened." Sinister said as she stepped towards her. "So, how is my daughter feeling?" He asked as he lifted her chin to look into her eyes. 

Sammi's blue eyes had turned black, and her blue streak in her hair had turned blood red. She smiled up at Sinister and said, "I feel wonderful, father." 

Sinister smiled evilly and said, "Good, my dear. I have a job for you." 

"Anything for you, father." Sammi said with an equally evil grin. 

**_~At the Mall~_**

Sammi stood on the upper level and watched as her brother, Nightmare, ransacked the lower two. He was having fun, and she was loving every minute of it. She smelled ozone and looked in the direction that it was coming from. She saw a portal open, and watched as Vision X and the X-men filed out. 

"That's right. Come and meet my brother... come and meet your doom." Sammi said in an evil voice. 

When everyone was out of the portal and it closed, Sammi stood on the railing and yelled down to them. "Goody, You all came to play." 

Everyone looked up to see Sammi standing on the railing. She was wearing a pure black suit and the streak in her hair had turned blood red, and she was grinning evilly. 

The shock and relief at seeing Sammi back was reflected on their faces. 

"Sammi! You're back!" Jubilee said. "Glad you are. We've been going nuts wondering where you have been." 

"MY NAME IS SAMANTHA!! NOT SAMMI!!" She yelled as she jumped down to the first level. 

Everyone gasped as they saw her jump and then land perfectly on the floor. When she landed, Logan looked at her and could immediately see the difference. Her eyes held none of the warmth which was the old Sammi... now they were just filled with darkness. 

Jubilee, seeing Sammi land, went running towards her. "Sammi! I'm so happy you're back." She didn't even get two feet before Samantha fired a fire-blast at her feet. 

Jubilee was thrown back by the blast, and stared wide eyed at Sammi, as did the others. 

"I SAID MY NAME IS SAMANTHA!!" Samantha yelled, and shot a glare at Jubilee. 

As Samantha was glaring at Jubilee, Logan took a little step forward. "What did they do to you, darlin'?" He asked as he looked at her face. 

Samantha turned to him and said, "They did nothing to me. They made me better. You are the ones that made me lose everything that's dear to me. That's why you must die." She glared at them and pointed towards Jubilee. "That was a warning. Cross me again and you will die." 

Samantha turned towards Nightmare, but quickly turned back as she heard someone moving forward. 

"I warned you." She said, and she aimed one of her hands at everyone, firing a huge fire- blast. She turned back to Nightmare and said, "Come, Brother, our work is done here." A portal opened up and they walked through. 

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

The portal opened and Sammi and Nightmare walked out. Sinister walked over to them. 

"Excellent work, daughter." he said to Sammi. 

"How can you call THAT excellent work?" Kyle screamed from the corner of the room. "She didn't even kill them! She hit the floor!" He started towards her. 

Samantha moved from Sinister and yelled at Kyle, "I was having fun! I didn't want to kill them that fast! I want them to Suffer!" As she walked, she popped her claws that were now laced with adamantium. 

"Stop it, both of you!" Sinister yelled as he stood between them. Samantha and Kyle were still staring each other down. "Kyle, go to your room. I'll talk to you later." 

Kyle sent Samantha a glare, and she in turn sheathed in her two outer claws, leaving only the middle one out. 

**jubilee_79 and Dreamweaver**

**_~The Dream Realm~_**

Ymela watches as the events take place, a furrow of worry creasing her brow. She can't do anything where Amanda and Anon are concerned, it was a fight between the two of them. Anon had finally pushed Amanda too far. All Ymela could do was to watch. She sees the nightmare that Anon had created, causing a rift to form between Hope and Hank. Her hand moves to her chest, feeling her heart ache. 

/Oh my dear daughter, I had hoped that you would be spared the agony... but I can't do a thing./ 

A noise from outside makes Ymela move from the fire, to glance out her window. She gasps and hurries outside, her iridescent wings opening to lift her to the darkened sky. She could see the fog of the nightmare creatures moving towards her island. 

Ymela raises up her hands and summons the elements of the sky. Clouds gather around her, lightning flashes, thunder booms. She then moves her hands in a circular motion and a water spout appears, swirling towards the fog. It quickly catches up to the nightmare minions, catching them in it's deadly path and whisking them away from her island. 

A movement catches her attention, as a fiery dart nearly hits her. She sees a dark, thin man riding on the back of a skeletal griffin. 

She sighs, /Looks like I have my work cut out; good luck Vision-X and X-Men. I hope that you can defeat Nightmare. I know that isn't what Amanda named him, but that is what he is and I can't call him, Hey You!!/ 

Ymela moves to confront the nightmare man on the skeletal griffin. The griffin's wings are leathery, like that of a bat. 

"You are trespassing. Leave this area, or suffer the consequences." 

The man only grins, then lets loose another bolt of fire. Ymela does an acrobatic roll in the air to avoid being hit by it. She attacks, directing a bolt of lightning at him. In one smooth motion, the griffin tucks its wings in and drops, the lightning missing it. Then with a flap of it's leathery wings, it shoots back up high in the sky. 

Ymela looks up to see what the griffin and it's rider are about to do. The griffin, at a silent command, tucks it wings against itself and dives at Ymela. Ymela concentrates, and she is now wearing prismatic armor and carrying a lance, waiting for the griffin's arrival. 

As the griffin and it's rider nears her, Ymela hovers in one spot waiting for their descent. The man looses another of his hellish bolts, which hits but bounces off of her armor. Faster and faster the griffin descends, almost becoming a blur. Ymela braces herself, hoping she can stop him. 

The griffin hits, driving itself on the lance. The lance explodes, killing the griffin on contact, and the rider as well. Ymela falls towards the ground, stunned by the impact of both griffin and explosion. Ymela crashes into a tree, then to the ground below. She lies there motionless. Minutes pass by... then slowly, painfully, she gets up; her armor disappearing. 

/That was a close call. I had better see what has happened to the others./ she thinks. 

She moves to where she can fly back into the air, leaps up and spreads her wings. Ymela screams in agony; one of her wings had been injured in the fight. Ymela waits until the pain recedes, then walks back home. 

Once she gets back, Ymela makes herself some herbal tea, a concoction that Hope had invented. She sips it as she looks once more back into the fire to see what has happened. 

Looking into the fire, she watches the scene unfold at the mall. She sees all of the X-Men and Vision X enter through the portal. She hears an evil laugh, the fires focus moves over to it. Ymela sees Samantha's face. She drops her tea cup and stares in horror at the sight before her. 

/My dear sweet child, what could have caused such a pure hearted witch to turn so evil?/ 

Ymela's eyes follow as she watches Samantha jump down to the others. She stares in horror as she sees the blast, and everyone being thrown back by it. 

/My baby!/ She says as she watches Hope being thrown. 

She leaves the fire on that scene to make sure that everyone is all right. As she watches everyone get up, she breathes a sigh of relief that they are all unharmed. She changes the scene in the fire to show her where Samantha went after leaving the mall. As she looks at the room, she sees a figure in the corner. The fire shows a close up view of the figure. Ymela gasps. 

/Omus??? It cannot be!!!/ 

The figure in the corner smiles, picking up Ymela's thoughts. 

/No, I'm not Omus.. though I was at one time a part of her. I'm Dischord... Hello, Sister/ 

Ymela shudders, /First Anon is changed, now this?? / 

/Welcome to your nightmare, Sis./ Dischord laughs where only Ymela can hear. 

Ymela changes the picture in the fire, and notices Sinister on the throne. /Where did the Goblin King go to?/ She thinks to herself. 

The fire changes scenes, and she watches the events unfold. 

**_~Flashback~_**

Sinister, Doctor Cornelius, Anon and Mystique arrive in the realm of nightmares. Anon is welcomed with open arms by the Goblin King, as well as her companions. Sinister promises to help in the war against Ymela as long as he can reside there. The Goblin King agrees. One night, Sinister decides to get rid of his host. Under the guise of making battle plans, he implements his treachery. 

At a signal from him, Anon moves to the Goblin King and gets his attention. At that very moment, Sinister pulls out a little device aims it at the goblin king, imprisoning him in an energy crystal. The crystal is hauled away to an isolated area and closed up inside a wall. 

**_~End Flashback~_**

Ymela shakes her head, then she moves time forward, wondering what caused Sammi to turn so dark. She watches the horror that Sammi faced, the breaking down of her mind and will. Ymela shudders. Something has to be done about that. What can be done? She gets up and moves her wings, wincing in pain. This will not do. She gets up and moves to where her husband's and Hope's labs are at, and goes in. 

**Dreamweaver and Jubilee_79**

~The Mall~ 

Amanda arrived in time to see Sammi leave with Nightmare. She had left Anon on the astral plane to help her friends. She could sense the hurt and betrayal, and knew things had gone to far. She had to find a way to make it better, even if was the last thing she did. 

Charles saw her approach, and noticed that something was different about her. It was not hostility or darkness like with Sammi. Amanda seemed to radiate with some foreign power. He gently prodded her mind to ask Thanagar if he knew what was going on, but the dragon was just as confused. 

"Sinister is going to pay." Amanda stated as she helped Logan up. 

Logan saw the purpose in her eyes, and knew that he would get his little girl back. Rogue also caught the look, and knew that somehow she would see Jonas again. 

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I am tired of getting jerked around by Sinister and Anon. They have crossed the line in so many ways that they will never be able to get out of the punishment they have waiting for them." stated Amanda. 

The X-men and Vision X gathered forward. They knew that it was time they took a stand. They had all had enough of what Sinister had done. Amanda seem to sense this new resolve and smiled slightly. 

"We need to regroup and relax. We must stop letting Sinister and Anon jerk us around. We need to gather our strength... and I know just the place to do it." 

"How are we going to get there without attracting attention?" asked Bobby. 

At that moment, both teams were surrounded by wings of fire. When the wings disappeared, both teams and the children were on a beautiful island resort. They all noticed that their clothes had been changed to normal vacation gear. 

Charles turned to face Amanda and asked, "How did you do this?" 

"We all have our own little surprises, Charles. Let's just say that the cosmic forces would not allow Anon to exist if they did not have some means to stop her." 

"I thought..." began Hope. 

"There are some things that have not been revealed to your mother yet, Hope. She will soon find out this was meant to happen for a reason." 

"How do you know this?" asked Magneto, who was wearing a fun Hawaiian shirt. 

"I'll explain later. For now, I need you all to relax and gather your strength. The battle we were all destined to fight is at hand; we need to be prepared, or all time and space will be lost."explained Amanda. 

**A.C.**

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Wolverine decide to go for a walk. He had to think about a few things... most of which was Sammi. When he saw her like that, it tore his heart. His Baby, His Little Girl was evil. He couldn't believe it. But he knew Two things for sure. One, Sinister was going to pay big time for hurting his family, and Two, Logan would get his Baby Girl back. He saw the look on Amanda's face, and he knew she meant business. He was brought out of his thoughts by the smell of Rogue coming. She fell into step with him. 

"Wanna talk, sugah?" Rogue asked as she saw the look on his face. 

"Maybe in a little bit, darlin'." Logan said, looking over the beach and the ocean. 

He knew Sammi would have loved this place. He shook his head to clear away his thoughts about Sammi, but a few new ones popped in. These ones were of Maggie, and how much like Sammi she was. "Could she be my daughter, too?" He thought, but didn't realize that he said it out loud. 

"Who, sugah?" Rogue asked as she stopped him from walking. That's when he realized that he said it out loud. 

"Maggie. She's so much like Sammi. Do you think she's my daughter, too?" He said, looking at her face for an answer. 

"Probably. She's got the same tempa' as you and Sammi. And she looks like you both, too. When everything calms down, why don't you have Hank perform a DNA test?" Rogue asked. 

"That's a good idea, darlin'. Now, to change the subject. What's up with you and bird boy?" Logan asked, cocking an eyebrow and giving a lopsided grin. 

Rogue started to laugh and said, "Ya know, when you do that, you look like Jamar." 

"No changing the subject again." Logan said, but what she had said stuck in his head. 

"Well, I don't know. We got closer when Besty left; and then when I saw him get hurt, I was scared. I thought I might lose him, and that hurt here." She said, and she placed a hand over her heart. 

Logan looked at her. When she talked about Warren, she got the same look on her face that Sammi did when she talked about Jonas. He remembered what they were like at the mansion. They acted like Jonas and Sammi did when they first started being together. 

He looked at her and smiled, "Does a brick hafta hit ya two for you ta know that you're in love with each other?" 

Rogue looked at him blankly. She remembered all of their talks and how she felt when he got hurt, and it hit her. She WAS in love with him, but did he feel the same? 

Rogue was so happy. She threw her arms around Logan in a Cara special and said in his ear,"I do love him. Thanks for pointing it out. I owe ya!" And she kissed him on the cheek. 

Logan sniffed the air. Pushing Rogue back, he said, "Darlin', you better go tell him, because I think he just got the wrong idea." 

Rogue looked at Logan and then to the sky, and she saw Warren flying away very fast. 

"Oh, no." She said as she took to the air after him. 

**_~Earlier~_**

Warren had looked around and didn't see Rogue anywhere, then he spotted her flying after Logan. He decided to follow, because he wanted to talk to her. Over the past year, they had become very close friends. Rogue was the only one who knew about Sammi's message for him, and he needed to talk to her... because he realized that over the past year he had fallen in love with her. 

It wasn't in the same way he had loved Betsy, it was different. It was like they were meant to be together; and after he saw Sammi like that, he realized how much things can change in such a short time. Warren knew he needed to tell Rogue how he felt, and now was as good a time as any. 

He walked behind them a little ways, and when they stopped, he stopped. He couldn't tell what they were talking about, but when he saw Rogue throw her arms around Logan, He was crushed. His heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces. He had to get out of there, so he took off flying. He wanted to get away from everything, especially away from Rogue. 

He heard her call out to him, but he didn't want to hear how happy she was with Logan. So he ignored her and flew faster. Before he knew it, something hit him and sent both him and it into the water. He crashed into the water head first with whatever hit him hanging on for dear life. As he got to the top of the water, whatever it was let go. He turned around to see Rogue right next to him. 

"You did that?" Warren asked in disbelief. 

"Well, It was the only way for me to get to talk to ya, sugah." Rogue said as she waded in the water. 

"Why would you want to talk to me? Wanna Brag about being in love?" He said, hurt as he headed for the shore. 

"Wait! Warren! It's not like that!" Rogue yelled as he swam towards the shore. When she knew that he wasn't turning around, she yelled,"I LOVE YOU, NOT LOGAN!" 

That stopped him. /Did she just say that she loved me?/ He asked himself. He turned himself around and swam back to her. When he got there, he asked, "Did you just say that you love me?" 

Rogue smiled at him and said, "Yes, with all my heart." 

Warren couldn't speak, so he did the next best thing. He grabbed her and pulled her into a Cara special and kissed her. Rogue snaked her arms around him and deepened the kiss. As the two love birds kissed out in the ocean, everyone on the shore started clapping and cheering. 

Jamar turned to Cara and gave her a kiss, and they both said, "It's about time." 

**jubilee_79**

Charles smiled as he watched two of his X-men find happiness. This little island get-away had proven useful after all. The X-men needed to relax and find some peace before they faced what the future held. 

Charles had gone looking for Amanda a few hours ago. He finally spotted her talking to Magneto near the beach. At first he felt a cold stab in his heart when he saw her laughing with Magneto. He decided he was going to have a little talk with Magneto when they were alone. Preferable away from the water. 

As he approached them, he saw Amanda's smile grow, and could feel her delight at seeing him. He also felt a strange warmth flow through him, and could feel her connecting with him in a way she never had before. At first he was alarmed, given her familiar new power, but it soon faded when he realized how wonderful a feeling it was. It was as if she literally poured her love into him. 

"What are you two up to?" he asked. 

"Eric was telling me about a bar fight you started when you were young. It was amusing little story. I wonder what Logan and Remy would think if they heard it." teased Amanda. 

"Don't you dare." warned Charles in good humor. 

"What is the matter, Xavier? Don't want you spotless image ruined?" teased Magneto. 

Xavier began to tense, preparing for a fight. Magneto too got tense. He was just teasing him. Why he takes it so seriously all the time, I'll never know, thought Magneto. 

/Behave, boys... or I'll throw you in the water myself./ 

Xavier and Magneto looked at each other for a few minutes. Neither knew just how to take that threat. 

/Relax... I'm just kidding./ 

Both men began to laugh, and were soon joined by Amanda. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Cara and Jamar watch the goings-on around them with mild amusement. 

"Well hon...what say we take a walk along the beach, eh? But first." /I hope this works./ Jamar waves his hand before them, and their clothes shimmer and change. 

Jamar stands now clad in a Hawaiian shirt, complete with straw hat. Cara looks down to see she is wearing a flowing sundress with a floral print. 

"Hey, it worked." Jamar says, surprised. 

Cara takes his hand and says, "How 'bout that walk. mister?" 

They set off down the beach a good distance from the group to an isolated cove. Cara looks out at the ocean, watching the waves lap across the rocks in suds of white motion. 

"Beautiful, isn't it!?" she says, awe struck. 

"It sure is." Jamar replies. 

His eyes lock on Cara, his emotions tickling the edge of her senses. As the sun begins to drop to the ocean in a mix of crimson, purple and blues, they embrace before the stillness of sunset with only the ocean as their witness. 

**_~Hours Later~_**

Jamar and Cara return, laughing. 

"I can't believe you won the limbo contest." Cara says. 

"I cheated a bit; after all the daiquiri's I drank, it was a bit hard limboing without using telekinesis." 

"Cheater!" 

They both begin laughing again as they step up to the Condo, when Jamar notices Wolverine sitting out on the shore, looking at the moon. 

The sorrow rippling off of him cuts through Cara's heart. /Jamar, Why don't you go to him. He needs someone./ 

/We've never really gotten close./ 

/There's no perfect time like the present./ 

/How come I feel like I've entered into a Cable-Scott moment here?/ 

/Just go, hon. I'll be waiting for you upstairs./ She replies. She kisses him, giving him a devilish grin and a wink as she heads up the steps. 

Jamar walks over the sand until he stands beside Wolverine. The fact that Wolverine doesn't notice sends tendrils of worry up Jamar's spine. 

"Uh...Father!?" Jamar says. His voice sounding like a hollow whisper against the sound of the sea. There's no reply so Jamar sends it mentally. The silence stretches out for a series of heartbeats. 

"...that look." Logan says... but nothing else is said. Nothing needs to be.. Jamar understands. 

"We all know Sinny did something to her head. She'll be fine." Jamar says, placing his hand on Logan's shoulder. 

A growl escapes Logans lips, "How can you be so sure?" 

"Because, father, I still sense good in her. Sinister could not totally purge all of the Sammi we know from her," He says as he walks up to the Condo, leaving his father to contemplate what he's said. 

**Chaos**

**_~The Dream Realm~_**

Ymela walks into her husband's lab, and looks around. She moves to a wall and runs her hand over a certain spot. The wall opens up to reveal a staircase leading down to a hidden underground chamber. She hadn't been down here in a long time. Inside there is a table with ornate carvings on the legs, made of dark mahogany. Around it are chairs made of the same wood, with the same carvings on their backs and legs. 

Ymela kneels down and looks at the carvings on the table. The carvings are that of dragons in fighting stances, breathing fire at their opponents. She runs loving hands across the carvings. Malcolm had made the table and chairs by hand. She remembered watching him for hours, seeing the loving care he took in each part of the creation. Ymela presses her face against the seat of the chair, running her fingers over the carvings, tears filling her eyes. 

"Oh, Malcolm, I miss you so much.." Ymela feels her wing twinge, reminding her of her injury. 

Carefully she gets up and moves to a roll top desk. She opens it, and there she sees the item she is looking for. It is a large piece of crystal, cut like a diamond. She passes her hand over it. A small form appears just above it, much like the holograph of Princess Leia in Star Wars. She smiles happily, seeing her husband again. 

"Hello, dearest," Ymela says. 

"Hello, my love." He answers, " I see that something must have happened, since you are activating the crystal. What can I do for you?" 

"I have been injured, and I need to heal. Is there something you can do?"she asks, her voice quavering a bit. 

"Ah, yes. I can help you out, my dear angel.. In the lower right hand side of the desk there is a compartment. Open it. Inside you should find a white ball with a red cross on it. Yes I know, it's a bit corny, but it works. Once you get a hold of it, take it over to the bed where the metallic dragon claw is. Place the ball in the claws then lie down. That will start the healing process." 

"But what about the nightmare creatures?? They got too close for comfort today." she says, worriedly. 

"Now, Ymela, don't worry about that. I made preparations just in case something like this should happen. You look tired, so you need to rest. Just let me take care of you for now. Yes, I know that I'm just a hologram of my former self, but I guess just a little bit of me slipped in. So please do as I ask." 

Ymela nods and does as he instructed her to do. Once she lies down on the bed, Malcolm's hologram smiles. 

"All right.. now it's time to sleep. See you in your dreams." 

Ymela closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep, the bed glowing as it heals her injuries. And while she sleeps and dreams, all of the boundaries of the island start to glow, and then it seems to fade from view. 

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

Sinister looks at Dischord and Sammi, as well as Dr. Cornelius. Anon comes back after being left in the astral plane by Amanda. 

"Amanda didn't finish the fight. She simply left, just as things were getting interesting. I don't know where she is, including the X Men or Vision X." 

"What??!!" Sinister says. "You can't find a mediocre team like X men and Vision X anywhere? This cannot be true." 

"It is, Mr. Sinister. Even Ymela's Island has disappeared. I am unable to explain how this is possible." Dr. Cornelius exclaims. 

Sinister gets up from the throne very angry, and storms out of the room. He goes to where he can look out over the land to where the Island is. Sure enough it was gone. Without another word, he goes to his room to brood. The other villains continue to look for the two teams, without having any luck. 

**Dreamweaver**


	12. Chapter Twelve

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Twelve**

Maggie sat in the shade of a palm tree, watching lovers frolic together all over the beach. She flicked the ash off her smoke with a slightly impatient move. She was starting to get the impression that she wasn't in Kansas any more. 

Eric came out of the Beach house; he wanted to be alone, but not really. He just felt lonely... everyone had someone but him. And he longed for someone to talk to. He started walking towards the beach, when he got hit with a wave of loneliness that seemed to echo his own. He made his way towards it, and found the girl he had been locked in the bathroom with at the motel. 

"Mind if I join you?" He asked a little uncertain. 

Maggie glanced up when the shadow fell over her face. She bit back a sarcastic comment and shrugged. "Sure, if ya want." 

"It's beautiful here." Maggie said as Eric sat down next to her. 

"Yeah, I can see why Amanda chose this place. It's so peaceful." Eric said, stealing little glances at Maggie. He could see that something was bothering her, but he didn't want to push her. 

"Can I ask you something?" Maggie glanced at him. 

"Sure." Eric said. 

"What is going on around here?" Maggie gestured towards the beach full of people relaxing. "I mean, one minute we are locked in an life or death struggle... the next we are all sitting on a unknown beach." 

She opened her guitar case to get a fresh pack of cigarettes. She absentmindedly tucked the picture of her parents back in the corner. It had been years since she had looked at it. Eric watched her as she opened the case and took out the cigarettes. He saw her tuck the picture away. He noticed a very distinct hair style on the man in the photo. 

/I'll ask her about that later. I don't want to scare her off yet./ He thought. "Well, Let's see. It's a very long story. Do you want the long version or the short?" He asked, thinking about that picture and how everything seemed to click ino place. 

"Give me the short. I don't think that my poor nerves can handle much more." Maggie grinned; showing him a dimple. 

"Ok, well, about five years ago a bunch of writers ended up in another dimension. See, the X-Men aren't real here, in this dimension. They're comic book characters. In the dimension that the writers ended up in, the X-Men are real." He looked at her to see if she wanted him to continue. 

"Ok, that explains why the guy at the newspaper stand looked at me like I was nuts when I commented how nice it was not seeing something about mutants smeared all over the front page. Where I am from we have the Avengers, and the Fantastic 4," Maggie told him. 

"They are? That means that your from that other dimension." Eric said as the pieces fell further into place. 

"I guess," Maggie frowned. "What I don't understand is how I ended up in Frisco. I was on my way to a school in up-state New York." 

"Somehow, when the X-Men came here, you were brought here too. Where were you going?" Eric asked. 

"Some school called the Xavier Institute," Maggie dug around in her backpack, pulled out an old business card and handed it to Eric. 

Eric nearly fell over when she said that. He looked at the business card and then back to her. "Well, you didn't find the school, but you found Xavier." Eric said as he pointed over to where Amanda, the Professor and Magneto were talking. "The guy in the wheelchair is Professor Xavier." 

"That's Xavier?!" Maggie could have fallen over. Then she looked hesitant, "Well, I guess I did a bang up job of keeping that promise, Mom." She sighed and felt torn. She had promised her mother that she would go to this school, but she had no way of knowing what she would be getting into. 

"So what do I do now?" She asked him. 

"Well, why were you going there?" Eric asked, wondering if it had to do with a certain kanucklehead. 

"I promised Mom that if anything had ever happened to her, I would go check it out. Mom was a mutant too. She could make listeners actually feel the emotions behind a song. She was voice training at Juliard when she met the Professor. That was like way before I was born. She kept the business card that he gave her, and he told her that if she ever needed him to give him a call. Mom was murdered last year," Maggie brushed a tear away, hoping that Eric hadn't noticed. "I guess I inherited a little of her too. She always said I was just like my dad though." 

Eric, seeing her wipe the tear away, slowly put his arm around her in a hug. "Do you know who your father is?" He asked. 

"I have no clue," Maggie was a little uncomfortable at first. "Mom never talked about him much. I guess it hurt too much. I know she was murdered because of him, and if I ever get my hands on him or the bastards that killed her, they will pay, dearly." Maggie relaxed against him. It was nice having a little support. 

Eric liked the way it felt to have her next to him. "Is that picture of him?" He asked a little shakily. 

"Yeah, I hadn't looked at it in years. Mom gave it to me when I was little. I used to get picked on for not having a dad," Maggie shrugged. "Not that it really mattered. We moved around a lot." she smiled at her memories. "It was like a game. Mom would pin a map of the US on the wall and let me throw a dart, and that's where we moved to next. Foot loose and fancy free was what she called us." 

"It's tough not having a father. I can't imagine how Sammi and Jamar dealt without having anyone. Can I see the picture?" Eric asked. 

"Sure," she opened her case and handed it to him, without really seeing it. "I have a better one of Mom." She rummaged around for a second and pulled out a handful of pictures. 

Eric looked at the photo. /Suspicions confirmed,/ He thought as he looked at the photo. In it was a younger Logan and a beautiful woman. Logan had his arm around her, and a look of total happiness on his face. /Boy, Sammi and Logan are going to flip./ He looked over to her and smiled and said, "Looks like you have more than just a father out there." 

"Excuse me?" Her eyes hardened. "I don't have a father. I wouldn't claim any man as family that couldn't stick it out. The day that my mother was murdered, some men came to the house looking for my father. My mom told me that it was okay to go to my guitar lessons. When I came back, I found my house destroyed and my Mother half-beaten to death. The last thing that she told me before she died was to get the hell out before they came back for me. He was the reason that we were on the run. He is the reason that she is dead, and I hope that I am the one to put the sorry low-down-vermin in his grave." 

Maggie realized that she may have gone to far. "Oh, hell... I am sorry." 

"It's ok. You were saying what you feel. But maybe you father didn't have a choice. Maybe he didn't remember. How old are you?" Eric asked. He knew she was upset, but he also remembered how happy Sammi had been when she found her father. He wanted Maggie to feel the same. He never wanted to see her hurt, only happy. 

"I turn 19 in a couple of days. Man, this year is going to suck," Maggie held tight to her control. This was the first year without her mother. They would never again spend the day at the spa, and then paint the town red. 

"What about you? You have sat here, letting me ramble on like a fool." 

"I'm 19, too. You weren't rambling. But I think you should know. At the time you were born, your father was stuck in a place where they took and changed all of his memories. He escaped from there, but he couldn't remember anything about his life before." Eric said. 

He wanted to make her happy, and he had to tell her Logan's side of the story. He hated it when people fought, but he knew that in some cases it was necessary. In this case, however, it wasn't. He thought that she needed to hear the whole story. 

Maggie listened, though a part of her wanted to run. She had spent a year building up a hate for her father... but her mother's voice echoed in her ears. 'Mags, if you don't hear both sides, how can you judge fairly?' When Eric was done, Maggie excused herself, taking the picture of her parents with her. 

Eric watched her as she left. "Are you going to be Ok?" He yelled after her. He didn't want her to leave. He cared about her, and he only wanted to see her happy. 

Maggie didn't answer him. She walked until she found Logan. She stared at him for a second, and handed him the picture with a shaking hand. 

"I have hated you for a year, but it's not your fault. None of it was." Hot tears flowed down her face. 

Eric followed behind her. When he saw her walk over to Logan, he stopped. When he saw her hand Logan the photo, Eric quickly rushed to her side. 

Logan looked at the photo, and back to Maggie. "What's this?" He asked, confused. 

The guy in the photo was him, but he didn't know who the woman was. Then in a flash of memory, he saw a smiling face and felt so much love, but then it was gone. He looked at Maggie, and it clicked in his head, but he had to be sure. 

"Am I your father?" He asked, shaken. 

Maggie could only nod as silent sobs racked her small frame. She finally was able to cry for the loss of her Mother. The pain was still so fresh. Logan grabbed her in a Cara special. He was so happy. He had a family, but now to find out that he had another daughter... it thrilled him to the bone. As he hugged her, he thought of Sammi and how happy she would be when she found out. 

"Wait until your sister hears about this." He said through happy tears. 

"Mom died last year," Maggie told him in between hiccups. "She was murdered." 

Logan was taken aback. "What? Who did it? I'll kill them for hurting my family." He said as he held her tighter. 

"Some people," Maggie tried to regain composure, "looking for you." 

Logan saw his own eyes staring back at him. Now he could understand why his stare made people nervous. She had that same crazed look that he sometimes got. 

"Not if I kill them first." Maggie shook it off. This wasn't the time. "Mom loved you. There were never any other men in her life." She told him. 

"I really don't remember that much. But when you showed me the photo, I remembered her smile and felt the love we had for each other." Logan said, crying a little again. He knew that he had just lost the love of his life. 

**Lady_Yann and Jubliee_79**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Hope blinks and looks around, surprised to find herself on a tropical island. She had no idea that Amanda had such great power. Could she have been imbued with the Phoenix's power? She wonders. She notices that several people are finally getting together. Hope looks to see if she can find Hank, but she is unable to locate him. He avoided her after the incident back at Sammi's place. 

Hope didn't blame Hank for avoiding her... after all, he had been falsely accused of assaulting her. Hope hadn't known at the time that Hank hadn't been himself... that Anon had been in control. All Hank had ever really done was try to help her, not harm her. She knew that now... but that didn't make any difference to Hank; not now, at least. 

Hope sighs and makes her way to the beach. There she sees Bobby, Athena and the kids playing, making sand castles. Athena and Bobby holding onto each other, talking about future plans. Hope moves quietly to avoid disturbing Athena and Bobby, but Athena notices her. Athena kisses Bobby, then runs over to Hope. 

"Are you all right?" she asks, concerned about her friend. 

Hope puts on a smile, trying to act like everything is all right. 

"Yes, everything is all right. I was just going for a walk," Hope replies. 

Athena looks at her thoughtfully, "Hope, quit lying. I know you are miserable. Go find Hank and make up with him." 

"I don't think that he wants to be around me. After all, I accused him of hurting me, and he didn't." Hope's eyes fill with tears. 

Athena puts her arms around Hope, giving her a big hug. 

"Now listen here, Hope. You should not give up on him. It may take a little bit of time and effort, but I think that you will be able to smooth things over. After all, you really can't give up hoping for the best, especially since that is your name." Athena smiles at Hope, who smiles back and starts to laugh. 

"You are correct on that Athena. I'm so glad that we are friends, and I have you to remind me of that." Hope gives her dear friend a big hug. 

Mac and Robert, seeing Mommy and Auntie Hope hugging, decide they want to get some hugs too. So they run over and wrap their arms about the two ladies legs, saying, "My turn, my turn!" 

Athena looks down at her two boys and smiles, "Looks like they want some loves too, Hope." 

Hope giggles, "Yes, I think they do." 

She and Athena pick up the boys, and give them a hug and a kiss on the cheeks . Then they set the boys down, watching them run back to their sand castle . Mac looks at Robbie while they are working on the castle. They both smile, then taking a bucket, they move to the water. Scooping up some water, they run giggling over to splash Auntie Hope and mommy with the water. Bobby busts up laughing, seeing the mischief his boys just did. 

Athena and Hope look at each other, then back at Bobby, and smile sweetly as they approach him. Bobby gets an exaggerated look on his face as they near him. Hope looks at Athena who nods at her, and then the girls give chase trying to catch him. They catch him and drag him to the water . Bobby "struggles" all the way, much to the amusement of Robby and Mac. Then Bobby, once he comes out of the water, grabs hold of a bucket, scoops up some water and chases after Athena and Hope. With a squeal, they run. 

Victor and Ryan, along with Kat, walk nearby, and try to avoid being hit... But it doesn't work. Athena and Hope come racing by, laughing, then Bobby throws the water, missing his targets and hitting Victor instead. Victor stands there, water dripping down his face and chest. He looks at Ryan, then back at Bobby who has a nervous look on his face. 

Victor stares at him, then in one swift movement grabs Bobby and runs for the water, tossing him in. Ryan laughs and laughs, as well as Athena and Hope . Kat and Robbie eye each other, then they grab handfuls of sand and start to pelt each other with it. Mac tries to get them to stop. 

"Now quit throwing sand.. it can get in your eyes and hurt!" he says to his brother and Kat. 

Robbie and Kat quickly grab a bucket each, and race to the water to fill them up. They then race towards each other, throwing the water. Mac just shakes his head. Suddenly, "Kersploosh!" He is hit from both sides by Robbie and Kat. He looks blinking through the water, then he joins in the fun. There is a laugh, and then all three kids are hit with water balloons. 

"Hey, who did that???" Asks Mac, looking around. 

"I did," says LJ, giggling, "and here are some more!!!" 

A tub of water balloons appears on the beach, and the kids with a squeal run for it, grabbing up balloons and throwing them. Hope runs to get a couple as well, then throws them at Bobby and Athena. She misses Athena and hits Ryan instead. Ryan looks at Hope grins, then she grabs a few and begins to toss them. Soon a regular balloon war commences, everyone enjoying themselves. 

**_~Further Down the Beach~_**

Jubilee and Storm are laying down, getting some sun and relaxing. They are trying to make certain to enjoy the moment. Maria and Banshee walk by, talking and gathering up seashells. Cyclops soon joins them, along with Cable. Remy and Leilee catch up to the others. 

"There's a barbeque going and plenty of food to eat, compliments of me and Leilee," Remy smiles. "If you go hungry, it's your fault!" 

The scent of the food wafts its way down the beach, and soon Athena and the others follow their noses to where the others are at. Teb and Angelo soon join them. Ryan and Maria come over and to talk to Teb. 

"Hey," says Ryan to Teb. 

Teb nods, then Ryan after a moment gives Teb a hug. 

"It's good to see you. Sorry I haven't had a chance to talk to you since you arrived, but I kinda got occupied . Sorry about that." 

Teb shrugs, "It's okay. Hey, the food smells good. Let's get something to eat." 

Maria looks over at Teb and gives her a hug too. " I'm glad to see you as well, Teb. You look well." 

"I am, especially now that Ange is here." Teb smiles over at Ange, who nods back. 

Teb moves over to Ange, who wraps his arms around her. Then they go get some food. Banshee comes over to Maria and pulls her to one side. 

"I haven't had a chance to say hello until now. I really missed you... and when I thought you were dead, well it hurt. I consider you a good friend." He gives her a hug. 

Maria smiles, feeling pretty happy. 

**Dreamweaver**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Cara lay in bed, snuggled deep into the arms of her beloved, Jamar. She rested her head on Jamar's chest, and listened to the gentle rythm of her love's heartbeat. Cara loved the sound. The gentle roar of the water as it rushed upon the shore outside accompanied it, creating beautiful music. It had been a wonderful day, but Cara's thoughts kept returning to Sammi. The expression on her face had been one reminiscent of the one Cara saw on the face of Anon. And the emotions... Cara shuddered. So much evil, coming from one of her dearest friends... How could it have happened? Tears began to form, sliding down Cara's face no matter how hard she tried to hold them back. 

Jamar was startled awake by the sensation of something wet and warm falling on his chest. He realized at once that they were tears. 

"Cara, love, what's wrong?" he asked, gently lifting her face up to his so he could see into her eyes. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you..." Cara said, trying desperately to calm down. 

"No, luv, there's nothing to be sorry about. Whatever's troubling you, you can tell me. That's what I'm here for." 

Cara lay her head back on Jamar's chest, and he began stroking her hair back away from her face. 

"I just couldn't help thinking about Sammi..." she began, and told him of everything she had sensed from her sister-in-law. "But even through all of the hate, I could still feel that there was good in her. But there is more. When Anon pulled me onto the psychic plane, and began to talk about her past, I also sensed good coming from her. It's still there, trapped beneath all of her pain and anger. I know that she's caused us all so much pain... but I can't help wishing that there was some way..." Cara's voice shook, she could not finish the sentence. 

"You wish that there was some way to bring the old Anon back..." Jamar finished for her. 

"Even after all the pain..." Cara said, then she shuddered as she began to remember the pain that Anon felt. So horrible, so strong...Cara knew how Anon had felt after all she loved was stripped from her. Such agony... how could anyone bear it for so long? The tears began to fall from Cara's eyes more rapidly than before. 

Jamar knew what Cara felt, and he raised her head gently, and looked deep into her eyes. The pain he saw there tore at his heart. Jamar pulled Cara close, and kissed her. Cara wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and clung to him as if her life depended upon his kiss. 

**Rainfall**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda and Xavier watched as their respective teams relaxed and had fun. It was the first time they were alone, and they were determined to enjoy it. Amanda decided that they need a quiet stroll down the beach to help them relax. 

/I know that look, Charles. I'm fine, and I know what I'm doing./ Amanda telepathically said. 

/I know that, but I can't help worrying about you. You know I love you./ 

/I know that. I love you, too. ... Did you ever watch the message I left you?/ 

/... No...I couldn't....it would have meant that../ 

/We would have seen each other again. The message said that I loved you and that I would find you./ 

/I figured as much. I knew you were dead in my heart, but it still hurt that you weren't around. I missed your smile and laughter. I missed your wisdom and compassion. I even missed that temper./ 

/My, you have it bad, don't you? Would you care to demonstrate how bad?/ 

/Right here on the beach?/ 

/Don't sound to excited, Charles. It might spoil that reputation of yours./ 

/I'll live./ 

**_~At the Barbeque~_**

" Where's Xavier?" asked Scott, 

There were laughs from two of the party goers. The rest just smiled. Scott's look got more confused. 

"I think I heard Xavier ask Amanda to give him a debriefing about what happened with Anon on the Astral plane." stated Magneto with a straight face. 

"Yeah. You know debriefings, Scott. They could last for hours." teased Leilee. 

Everyone began to laugh so hard that Scott wondered what was so funny. 

**A.C.**

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

Samantha paced back and forth in her room. She was itching to fight, but that had to wait. She had to figure out why she hadn't killed all of them when she had the chance. She knew that she aimed right, but it missed. She looked up and said to herself, "Damn, this isn't working." 

She headed for the door and out to the hall way. She heard voices coming from the lab and walked towards them. As she got closer, she knew that it was Sinister and that Doctor. She stayed just outside the door and listened. 

"Did you know that She was the firstborn?" The doctor asked. 

"Yes, I did. And I knew that if I found her, I could then find her brother." Sinister said from behind the desk. He was shuffling papers around, and didn't even look up at the Doctor. 

"So you know where her brother is? How did the experiment work on him?" The Doctor asked, getting giddy. He was finally finding out how his experiment had turned out. 

"Her Brother, well, It didn't turn out as we would have liked... but at least Kyle came out of it." Sinister said, finding the paper he was looking for. "I see from your report that there was also another girl. Tell me, Dr. Cornelius. What happened to her?" 

Dr. Cornelius swallowed deeply and said,"Well, She was taken by the mother. We heard reports as to where she was, but when our men got there they only found the mother. And She wouldn't tell them where the child was." 

"So, there is still one out there? I could use this to my advantage." Sinister said as he grinned evilly. 

"Yes, but she doesn't have what the other two have. She's just ordinary." Dr. Cornelius said. 

"No she is not!" Sinister shouted. "She's one of Logan's children. None of them are ordinary. Samantha and Jamar are in more control of their powers than all of them. They are both literal time bombs, just waiting to go off." 

"But what about what you said about Kyle?" Dr. Cornelius asked. 

"Kyle is a pitiful excuse for a mutant. The only thing that is keeping him here is his deep hatred for Samantha and Jamar. And I have to keep an eye on him, because if he acts on it in any way towards Samantha, He will ruin all of our work." Sinister said, sitting back down. 

**_~Outside the Lab~_**

Samantha listened to all of this with mute interest. So what if they were her family... they caused her to fall in love and have those she loved ripped away from her. They were still going to die. All of them. Even Father, Brother and Sister dear. She was going to make them pay; but first she wanted to train so she could be ready. So she walked outside. 

**_~The Throne Room~_**

Kyle stomped angrily in to the room. 

"Where is she!?!" He yelled at Dischord. 

Dischord turned her head slightly towards him, as if he were an ant she had just stepped on. 

"You are not to bother her. She is off limits to you," She said, and turned her attention back to Anon. 

Kyle stomped his foot and walked out of the room. /I don't think so. She's mine, and has been mine since we were kids. I'm going to make her pay./ He thought as he walked outside. 

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Maria and Sean were talking about all that had happened since she had gone. But they were interrupted. 

"Might I have a word with the lady?" Cable asked. 

Maria looked at Sean and Sean nodded. 

"Go ahead, lass." 

"Thanks." Maria said as she got up and followed Cable to beach. 

Maria was silent... she didn't know what to say. She missed him, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. 

"I missed you." Cable said as he stopped and grabbed her arm gently. 

Maria looked up at him and said, "I missed you, too." 

"I almost died when I thought you were dead, but I remembered your strength and I held on to that." Cable said, reaching up to move a stray piece of hair that the wind had swept into her eye. "You mean a lot to me." He finished, looking into her eyes. 

"You mean a lot to me, too." She said as she hugged him. 

He hugged her back. 

**jubilee_79**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Thirteen**

**_~The Dream Realm~_**

What was once the proud world of Dreams, was now almost completely absorbed by the darkness of the nightmare realm. Mist and death could be seen everywhere; the Dream had literally turned into a living nightmare... 

A large fortress left a forbidding shadow in the light that managed to come through the mist... creatures ran around like insects as if preparing for war. One lone figure walked along the ground outside the walls. A big hand grabbed a hand full of sand from the ground. 

"Like us, they never had a chance..." the roaring voice said as the dust scattered from his hand, leaving some small green and gray scales in his hands... Dragon scales. "You fought them side by side... till the end. What allies could ask for more than that?" The figure stood up again... and looked up at the fortress. 

"See what you have done? This dragon could not have been more then 70 years, and even she had a braver soul then any of your kind! I will avenge every drop of blood that you have spilled in the worlds in your reach..." The figure closed his fist. "Including my Wife." he whispered. 

A clock sounded in the night of the Dream Realm, as the nightmare creatures prepared for the inevitable... knowing that this time there would be no victory to a cowardly betrayal... 

"Prepare for the void..." the figure said as the dragon scales fell back to the ground. 

One by one, Dragons started to come out of the mist, walking to the fortress. Soon it was surrounded by over a hundred Dragons, ready to extract vengeance on the creatures that had killed all but a few of them so long ago. The figure raised it's head and looked up; the distorted Dragon face showed no emotion but hate and anger... and sorrow. 

"ATTACK!!!!!" Jonas roared as his dragon form emerged from the shadows and attacked the fortress. 

**_~Asgard~_**

In a small nursery, two cradles were slowly rocked by two young girls... while two large men stood at the door. 

"It's a miracle that they are still alive." Hercules said, looking at the two children in the cradles. 

"It was no miracle... thee saw Thor, he almost gave his life to protect them." Balder looked sternly at Hercules. 

"And now it is my obligation to care for them." Zeus said as he heard them. 

"Noo!..." Thor said, stumbling through the corridor. 

"I vowed to her that I would protect them..." he staggered towards the wall; Balder remained standing, knowing that Thor would not want his aid now. 

"You could not protect them in your state... they would not be safe here. Who would protect them until you recovered? Remember, Hercules saved your life." Zeus looked at the by now barely standing God of thunder. 

"Until my son recovers, I will watch over the children. The mother asked Thor to save them, and now as long as we are cut off from the Realm of Nightmares, they will stay here at Asgard under my Protection." Odin said sternly. 

Zeus looked at the mighty God, and for a moment he was tempted to challenge him... but quickly saw the wisdom in the matter... 

"Aphrodite and Hercules will remain here and guard them as well. I trust you have no objection." Zeus frowned. 

"None, old friend, but I hope it's not out of any misguided thought that I can't protect my home... I will teach them both our ways, and of the world of humans..." Odin said, and walked into the nursery. 

Thor collapsed in the corridor from the injures he sustained fighting his way out of the Nightmare Realm. Odin looked down at the two children, knowing that it would be a long time until they would see their parents... if ever... 

**_~Dream Realm~_**

Jonas stood in the center of the ruins of the fallen fortress... they had killed everyone; the anger was to bitter from what they had seen. 

"The Creatures are on retreat everywhere." a dragon said as it walked up to him... Jonas' Dragon form shadowing him at almost twice the size. 

"If they try to counter us, kill them... but let them flee for now. They closed the Nightmare Realm for us when we started the attacks in our homeland; only Ymela can open a door. Then we can attack and extract vengeance at the core of all this evil, and end it once and for all." Jonas' voice was full of hate, and his face displayed nothing but pure anger. 

"Yes... it will be done." the Dragon took to the air and flew away... 

Jonas looked at his hands... they were covered with black blood. It had bothered him at first... but now he almost enjoyed it. He hated what he had become, but it had to be done... the Dragon Realm was all but destroyed, and they needed to reform the allies with the Dream Realm, to awaken the Dreamers from their deep sleep; only they could help rebuild the Dragon's world, and this. 

It had taken the Dragons 20 years to run the Nightmares from the Dragon Realm. Jonas was not sure of how much time had passed on earth; but the constant dimensional jumping made the years pass quickly, and he was glad that as a dragon he was immortal in the Dragon Realm... or what was left of it. Now he would make the prophecy come true... He would hunt down every nightmare creature, and kill it with his bare hands. 

**Admiral**

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Hank does attend the barbeque along with the others. However he keeps to himself while he eats, his gaze drifting over to Hope as she plays with the kids. He watches as she causes bubbles to come out of nowhere for them to pop. He listens to her bell-like laughter of delight, as Kat and the other children pounce on them. He sighs to himself, thinking about his and Hope's argument, and the fact that he was thought to have attacked her. He would never have done anything like that to her, no matter how angry he got. 

Shaking his head, he moves to leave, not wanting to bother anyone with his blues. As he turns to leave, he notices that Storm is moving towards him from one side. Hank decides to go the other way; but Jubilee, with a determined look on her face, stops him from leaving. Resigned to his fate, he waits for Storm to arrive. 

"What can I do for you Ladies?" he asks quietly. 

Storm and Jubilee take him by one arm each, and lead him away from the party. Once they are a little distance from everyone else, they stop. 

"Okay, what is the problem, Hank?" asks Jubilee, "You've been gawking at Hope all evening long. Why don't you just take her in your arms and kiss her? I know you want to." 

Hank looks away, feeling just a bit uncomfortable. Storm notices his discomfort. 

"Jubilee, enough." She says in a reproving tone. 

"I'm sorry, but we all know that he didn't hurt Hope... it was all just a trick on Anon's part to separate them. So he needs to just get over it and get things taken care of!" Jubilee exclaims. 

"How can I just get over it? First of all, we got into an argument because of my petty jealousy. Her powers make me feel so useless... with just a touch or a wriggle of her nose, she makes things happen." 

"Hank, now listen to me carefully," says Ororo quietly. "We all have our own individual gifts that we were blessed or cursed with. But that is what makes us who we are. I don't really think that Hope was trying to make you feel bad about your abilities. Hank, you are needed and we love you. I think that you need to go talk with Hope to get things cleared up." 

"I don't know if she wants to talk to me, after all that has happened." he replies. 

"Hank, I know that she loves you... you love her as well. If that love is strong, it should be able to see you through the bad times, as well as the good times." 

Hank nods. "All right. I'll see what I can do... I hope that she will forgive me." 

Storm puts her hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze while Jubilee gives him a hug. 

"Go for it, Big Blue!!" Jubilee says while hugging Hank. 

Hank chuckles. "I am lucky and very glad to have such friends like you. If you will excuse me," he gives a bow and leaves. 

**_~At the Barbeque~_**

Hope helps to gather up the kids and carry them to Athena and Bobby's bungalow. Kat is picked up by Victor, then carried away to be put to bed. Athena and Bobby carry Mac and Robbie, Hope carries LJ. It was decided that LJ should stay at Athena's place so that Jamar and Cara are not disturbed. Once that is accomplished, she bids Athena and Bobby goodnight and takes her leave. 

Athena gives her a hug before she leaves and whispers, "Make certain that you find Hank to get things taken care of." 

"Okay, I will... and thank you for being my friend." Hope whispers back. 

Athena watches as her friend walks up the path away from the bungalow, then she turns to Bobby. 

"I really hope that she and Hank can get this resolved. It's a pity that this happened, but I think that things will turn out for the better." 

Bobby smiles at his lady, then moves over to the door and wraps his arms around her, nibbling at her neck. Athena giggles when Bobby carries her off to their bedroom. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Hope sighs as she walks to her bungalow. She didn't see Hank at all this evening... she knew that he was avoiding her. Feeling downhearted, she sits down on the stoop and places her head in her lap. There is a faint tinkling of a bell just above her, and she looks to see where it is coming from. There on the knob of her door is a silver bell with a ribbon attached to it. The ribbon seems to lead off to an unknown direction. Hope, curious, decides to follow it. 

The silver ribbon winds it's way to a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean. There attached to the end of the thin silver ribbon is a single red rose. Attached to the rose is a note which says, 

'I'm sorry dear lady, please forgive me. Hank' 

Hope picks up the rose and puts it up to her nose, smelling of it's sweet perfume. Then she kisses the rose gently. 

"I'll forgive you, if you will forgive me." She says softly. 

Hank steps out from where he was hiding and approaches her. Hope steps towards him. Hank draws near to her, and then he pulls her close to him, kissing her... a kiss full of warmth and love. Once the kiss is done, Hank leads her to a seat. They sit, holding each other and talking about a lot of things until the morning comes. When the sun rises, bringing about a new day, Hank walks Hope to her bungalow, holding hands. He kisses her once more before she goes in, and then he leaves for his own. 

**Dreamweaver**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Charles and Amanda were lying on the beach, just relaxing and looking at the stars when Magneto found them. He smiled when he saw his old friend's expression. It seems that one does not always grow old as time passes, he thought. 

"I hope I am not disturbing you two?" he asked as he approached. 

Amanda smiled and said, " I think it would be hard to disturb a telepath, because they always know you are there." 

Charles smiled and Eric stated, " I believe you are right. Besides, you are no ordinary telepath." 

Amanda laughed out loud as she got up. She smiled at Charles, who had gotten back into his hover chair. She leaned down to deliver a very passionate kiss. Eric lightly tapped his foot as he waited. If it wasn't so annoying, he would think it was romantic. Amanda, sensing his discomfort, broke it off and smiled. 

"I may not be an ordinary telepath, but you'll have to wait to find out what I am, Eric. I not giving away my secrets just yet. I'll see you later, Charles." she winked and walked off. 

Charles smiled and admired the view as she walked away. Her two piece suit was slightly crumpled, but who would notice? Charles did notice the way Magneto watched her, and decided they need to talk. 

"May have a word with you, Eric?" hissed Charles. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Early the next morning, Athena woke up and looked beside her. Her face dropped when she realized that Bobby was not there. She did, however, find a tropical flower resting upon his pillow, and underneath it was a note. 

Athena picked up the note, and read, "Find the twin ice pops that are sweeter than this (indicating the flower), say good morning to each and give each a kiss". 

/Twin ice pops? He must mean the children./ Athena thought as she smiled. 

She got up out of bed and threw on her robe, excited at the prospect of a treasure hunt. She walked out of the room and entered the room of the children. All three were still sound asleep... Robbie, Mac and LJ. Athena stood in the doorway, listening to the sweet sound of the children's even breathing. So dear, and so sweet they all were. Athena tiptoed to Mac, and without waking him she kissed him on the forehead. 

He rolled over and mumbled sleepily, "Morning, Mommy!" then went back to sleep. 

Athena crept over to Robbie and kissed him on the forehead as well. He also mumbled sleepily, "Morning, Mommy." and rolled over onto his side. When he rolled over, Athena saw another note under Robbie's head. She gently pulled it out, and read, "Underneath a blanket blue, lies a gift from me to you." 

Athena quietly searched around the room, then found what she was looking for in the closet. Underneath a blue blanket was a brightly wrapped flat square box, about 2' by 2'. Athena smiled, and took it back to her room. 

She laid it on her bed and carefully unwrapped it, then took the lid off the box. Inside lay a beautiful sundress, gauzy and lightweight, and was the most beautiful shade of robins-egg blue. Athena took it out and held it up in front of her, and looked in the mirror. The color made her look radiant... and it was wonderful with her red hair. 

Athena laid the dress down and went into the bathroom to shower. When she came out, she dressed in the sundress, then looked in the box again. Inside was a small square pillow, and pinned to it was another note. 

"Bring with you this cushion soft, much like the clouds aloft. Then find the one who flies, and brings rain from the skies." 

/Bring this cushion? Okay, I'll do it... it's a little strange, but I'll do it. Now the second part is easy, the one who flies and brings rain can only be Storm...but what about the kids? I can't just leave them here alone!/ Athena thought. 

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Athena went out of her room and answered the door... there stood Storm. 

Storm smiled at Athena, "Bobby has asked me to watch the children, and to give you this." she said and held out a note. 

Athena took the note, and read, "Find the one who sparkles bright, gathering seashells dark as night. In the East you'll find her there, waiting for the one with red hair (and I don't mean Jean)." 

Athena smiled, and thanked Storm. She went into her room and picked up the pillow and placed it in a basket. Storm smiled and went inside the bungalow, and sat down in a chair. Athena said goodbye to Storm and went out the door, and she started her quest for the one who sparkles bright. 

Athena walked along the beach, headed eastward; a little ways ahead, she spotted Jubilee who appeared to be picking up clam shells left over from the barbecue. Jubilee smiled when she saw Athena, and without a word she held out a note and a sealed clam shell. 

Athena took the clam shell with a bit of surprise, and she opened the note. It read, "Bring this treasured shell with you, it is a symbol of a love that is true. Now head towards the South 'til you reach a gate, where Multiple Replica's guard and wait." 

Athena thanked Jubilee, slipped the shell into the basket with the pillow, and started heading Southward. 

/What does Bobby mean, Multiple Replica's?/ she wondered, confused. 

Up ahead, Athena saw a hiking trail which went through the tropical forest. At the beginning of the trail stood Multiple Man and Replica, otherwise known as Eric the younger, Cara's twin. Athena smiled at the two men, and Eric held out a note. 

Athena opened it and read, "Follow this trail right from the start, it represents the path to my heart." 

Multiple Man smiled at Athena, and pointed to a ribbon with hearts printed on it, which was tied in a huge bow to a tree. He handed her another note, which read, 

"Follow these and you will not fail...and my friends will help keep you on the right trail." 

Athena smiled, and Multiple Man and Eric pointed the way she should go. Athena waved goodbye to them as she headed in that direction. She walked for a while, coming every so often to a tree with a heart ribbon tied to it; and standing under each tree was another Multiple Man and Replica, waiting to point her in the right direction. 

Athena finally came to the end of the path; there stood the last pair of Multiple Man and Replica... Eric held out a note and grinned. 

Athena took the note and read, "On bended knee I wait for thee, thinking of your great beauty. By shimmering waters great and clear, I wait for you, my beloved, to appear." 

Athena's heart began to pound...she knew she was at the end of her quest. She wondered at the words, they seemed to hold such promise. Eric and Jamie pointed in the final direction which Athena should take, then quietly retreated to re-merge with their counterparts. Athena took a deep breath, and walked out of the tropical forest. 

She gasped at the beauty which surrounded her. The path had opened up into a beautiful lagoon, and at the other side was a beautiful shimmering waterfall. And there was Bobby, pacing worriedly up and down the beach. He turned around and saw her... His eyes sparkled and he smiled, then walked over to her. 

Bobby took the sealed clamshell and cushion from Athena, then he placed the cushion on the ground and knelt upon it. He opened the clamshell, and took out a small, carefully wrapped item from inside. Athena's heart was pounding; but when Bobby unwrapped the small object, and Athena saw it glittering in the bright sunlight, her heart skipped a beat. Tears formed at the corners of Athena's eyes as Bobby gazed smilingly into her eyes, and held up a diamond engagement ring. 

"You mean more to me then anything else in the world. When I was apart from you, my world ended. Now that I have found you again, I never want to be apart. Please, Athena, Marry me, and make me the happiest man in any dimension." Bobby said, and held his breath as he waited for his lady love to answer. 

Tears formed more rapidly in Athena's eyes, and trailed their way down her cheeks. Bobby's face dropped... and for a moment, he was afraid that she might say no. Athena smiled and dropped to her knees in the soft white sand. She flung her arms around Bobby's neck and said in a shaky voice, 

"Yes, Bobby, YES! I will marry you!" 

She was so happy... she'd dreamt of this day for so long, and finally it was here. Bobby pulled back from the hug only long enough to slip the ring on Athena's finger, then pulled her close to him and kissed her. They would never be apart again. 

**Rainfall**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda was outside when she sensed Athena's excitement. She was glad that Athena and Bobby would be able to raise their children as a family. She was also glad that Hank and Hope had made peace. Over all, this trip was turning out to be better then she had imagined. There was every possibility of there now being a wedding. 

/Well, it seems your plan is working just fine. I admit I was surprised when you suggested it, fair lady,/ stated Azmaru. 

/I need a rest before I finish Anon, and the X-men need to get their heads together if they wish to survive./ 

/Can they do it, my lady? Can you defeat the dark witch, even with your new powers?/ asked Thanagar. 

/Can Jonas succeed in his task? The twins are safe for now, but for how long? I don't know./ she replied. 

/You are the chosen one to take over the task of protecting the universe. The Phoenix gave up her powers so that you could take up her struggle. Anon must be destroyed, but you cannot kill her. If you take her life, you will lose your soul in the process./ Thanagar warned. 

/I am aware of that. I will not kill her. I will honor the pact that I made with the forces./ 

/Have you told Xavier that little secret of yours?/ Azmaru teased. 

/No. the time hasn't been right. I don't know how he will take it./ 

Both dragons laughed at her obvious discomfort. Amanda blushed at their amusement. She didn't know if what Charles felt was strong enough. She didn't know If he would be able to accept who she was now. She wasn't the same woman he fell in love with. What if he couldn't accept that? 

/I think you give him little credit, fair lady,/ stated Azmaru. 

/I hope you are right. There are enough tests coming for all of us. I pray we will be strong enough to handle them./ she replied. 

**A.C.**

**_~The Dream Realm~_**

Jonas and his Dragon Army stood face-to-face with the Nightmare Army guarding the Island... but the island was no longer there. His anger was beyond hate... somehow the Nightmare Creatures had destroyed the last paradise, and their last hope. 

In a split second, one of the less intelligent nightmare creature charged Jonas, ramming his spear at his chest. Jonas didn't even move, part of him wishing that he would die... his future was lost without Ymela... all was lost. 

The spear broke as it made contact with Jonas' scales; Jonas grabbed the surprised creature by the neck. Not only were they stupid, but they quickly forgot that their magic weapons didn't work when they were cut off from their own realm. Jonas snapped the offending creature's neck with a snap, and let it slip to the ground. 

The battle was over in a hour; and even though the dragons were angry and full of hate, they did their best to live up to the Dragon code... but it was hard, and soon the battle ground was filled with the corpses of the Creatures that had defiled this place of dreams. 

~Jonas!~ 

Jonas swung around as a voice sounded in his mind. He looked out over the lake, and saw that the Island had started to reappear... 

"To the air! Secure the island!" Jonas yelled as years of instinct kicked in... it was not defenseless, he could feel it. 

The dragons positioned themselves all over the island. Jonas recognized the building... it was here Azmaru had observed as The Dragon and Dream Realms signed as allies... 

Jonas and two other dragons entered the small room... the magic surrounding the house was Dragon, and the three dragons shrunk in size until they was able to enter. They found Ymela on a bed. 

"She is one of the dreamers," one of the Dragons said, as both of them bowed their heads in respect. 

Jonas put a hand on her arm. Ymela opened her eyes, startled. 

"Fear not. We have rid this realm of the nightmare... but we need your help to open a gate to the Nightmare Realm to finish them off once and for all, and put an end to this war..." 

Ymela looked with joy as she saw that it was Jonas... but quickly she drew back as she saw the anger and hate in his eyes... had he changed so much? 

**Admiral**

**_~Asgard~_**

Years passed by, while only days passed on Alpha Earth. The seasons came and went. Aphrodite and Hercules had stayed as Zeus wished, but they loved their time with the twins. Zeus, himself, was a regular visitor. He loved the twins. They reminded him of Sammi as he used to watch her grow. They both had her pure heart, and were naturals at magic even though they were only two. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Sammi's pure heart would show her the way. He wished he could help, but the laws of the Gods forbid interfering with such matters. So he stayed with the children. His sister Aphrodite was taken by the young Josephine; where she looked like Sammi, she acted like Jonas. She was strong in both mind and spirit. Like her father, she was part Dragon... but this could, so far, only be noted by her catlike eyes. She would always lookout for everyone, even Thor and Odin. She was also a great deal stronger then your average two year old... combined with her great will to learn, everyone could see that she was going to be a wise young lady one day. From this, Zeus knew that one day she would be a leader. She was a natural. 

Hercules had found that he had a soft spot for young Alexander. Even at two, he showed great potential as a fighter. He had his mother's instincts, and his father's looks. Even at two, he had Sammi's temper... and every time he got mad, you couldn't help but laugh, because his face would turn red and his eyes would close until they were only little slits. His eyebrows would scrunch down til they were almost over his eyes, and his lips would take on a snarl. And as he stood there looking like that, everyone knew who he looked like... his Grandfather. And when he got like this, the only one who could calm him down was Josephine. She never talked to him, but somehow when she looked at him, he relaxed and would be his playful self again. No one knew, but something in their eyes told everyone that it was telepathic. 

The twins were amazingly fast at everything. They had crawled at three months, and walked at six. They started climbing out of their cribs at one, which surprised Thor when they decided to crawl into bed with him. They were closest to Thor. It was almost like they knew that He was the one that saved them. 

They started talking in full sentences a little while after they turned a year old. But now at two, they were both a handful. Josephine wanted to know everything... and Alexander, well, he wanted to do everything. Everyone knew where he got his prankster side from... his mother and his uncle. He surprised everyone by pulling different pranks. He put food coloring in Hercules's shampoo, which turned his hair a distinct shade of blue. He put eggs on the chair before Aphrodite sat down to read to him. 

Josephine was more obedient, but would often be caught hiding in the Hall of Warriors, listening to the old tales of Asgard. Sometimes Odin would let her stay and listen. She also had the habit of running away and hiding in one of the many rooms, so that Thor, Aphrodite and Hercules would spend hours looking until they would have to go to Odin and ask him where she was. He had taken quite a liking to the young girl, who seemed to want to learn everything that he could ever teach her... and she seemed to remember everything. 

While Alexander played pranks on everyone, Josephine was content to hear all about History, about the Gods, and about her family. Most of all, she wanted to know about her parents. They both did. They would sit for hours as someone told them about their parents, and everything they had done. Zeus would tell them about how pure hearted their mother was, and about some of her past lives. 

Aphrodite would tell of how Sammi and Jonas were destined to be together, and how much trouble it had always been to get them that way. But you could tell that she loved every moment she spent making sure that it all worked out in the end. Thor was the one that always told them about Jonas. About how Honorable he was, and caring. But it always ended up right back to the time that he first met Jonas. You could tell by listening that he took Jonas under his wing and would do anything for him. 

**Jubilee_79 & Admiral**

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Amanda sat on the beach and looked out to the ocean. She was reviewing what had happened in her life in such a short time. Her dreams had become reality, and her life had gone from that of a writer to a protector. She remembered how it happened. 

**_~Flashback~_**

She had been fighting Anon with every ounce of strength, when she felt something pulling her away. She had tried to resist, but the force had taken over her and she left Anon in confusion and went away. When she had regained control, she had found herself in what looked like a shimmering castle of crystal. 

"Your hate will destroy you if you do not let go," a voice stated. 

"Are you telling me that I should just let Anon get away with all she has done? Look at all the lives she has destroyed! She must be stopped." 

"Your hate will destroy you like it did her," replied the voice. 

"How do I stop her? I don't know what to do. I don't like feeling this rage, but how do I stop her from hurting those I love?" 

"If you are willing to let go, the power will be granted to you. A power that will allow you to protect those who need protecting, if you will give up the hate," the voice replied 

/I do not know why, but I trust the voice, fair lady./ Azmaru stated. 

/What do you think, Thanagar? I trust both of your opinions,/ questioned Amanda. 

/I do not know if it is the right decision, but you cannot live with this hate in you any longer. You must let go, and find the strength in love in order to defeat what is dark,/ stated Thanagar. 

"Anon was pure, but got lost in hate. If your choice is purity of love, the power you need is yours. It is more than magic, and more than genetics. One once possessed it and was called Phoenix; but she turned from love to passion, and became a creature that was forced to wander the universe to find a host so it could have the love it lost." the voice stated. 

So that is the story behind the Phoenix, she thought. Amanda now understood the importance of her decision. She was being handed great power, but she had to release all the darkness to get it. Could she really forgive Anon? Could she stop the hate that was growing inside her? 

"Make your choice." 

**_~End Flashback~_**

Amanda thought about how she felt when the power was bestowed upon her. The feeling of warmth and purity of it. The voice had told her how Sinister had been planning and waiting for her to choose the darkness, and how if she had, she would of ended up like Sammi. 

Amanda wasn't sure if she could help Sammi or not. The voice had stated that the only one who could save her was a creature of darkness who would show her the light. She didn't understand what it meant. She debated on whether to tell Logan that Sammi's children were safe, but she decided that she would wait until the family was together again. 

Amanda also remembered that the voice said that both teams had been gathered for this one battle, and that weapons and power would not save them. It would be the strength of their hearts that would. That the purity of light of love could erase the nightmares of hate. She wished that she knew what it meant by that. Amanda thought about that as she watched the waves crash on the shore. 

**A.C.**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Fourteen**

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Athena clung to Bobby for dear life. She was so afraid that if she let go of him, she would find that this had all been a dream. She didn't know when she had ever been so happy. She knew she and Bobby would never be apart, and that their boys would have a father forever. She smiled as she thought about the boys. They would be so happy about this. 

Mac was already attached to Bobby, and Robbie was starting to warm up to him. The problem with Robbie was just that he was so protective of Athena. Robbie was used to watching out for his mom. He was accustomed to not having to share her attention with anyone except Mac. Still, Athena thought that Robbie was starting to come around. 

"Bobby, let's get married now. Tonight," Athena whispered in his ear. 

"Tonight? Are you sure you wouldn't rather wait for a big church wedding?" Bobby asked, smiling. 

"Bobby, right now this seems like paradise, but we don't know how long it will last. It could all fall apart tomorrow. I still want to send the boys to Mishka. They'll be safe with her. If we get married tonight, we can send the boys to Nashville immediately after the wedding." 

"I think you're right. The sooner the boys are away from danger, the more I'll be able to concentrate on more entertaining things." Bobby smiled devilishly. 

"Good, then tonight it is. You go and find Amanda. I have to talk to Jamar." Athena said, kissing Bobby quickly. 

"Jamar?" Bobby seemed confused. 

"Yeah, he and Jonas are the closest things I have to brothers. Since Jonas isn't here and I don't have a dad, that just leaves Jamar." Athena smiled brilliantly, and gave Bobby a look that said he should understand everything now. 

"Huh?" he asked more confused than ever. 

"I need Jamar to give me away." Athena called just before disappearing down the path. 

**Snowbaby**

**_~The Dream Realm~_**

Ymela looks at Jonas, then gets up from the bed; Grendler and Fryker move to give her some room. Ymela picks up the globe from the dragon claw stand and puts it away back where it belongs. She kisses the tip of her fingers, and gently touches the hologram of her dead husband. The hologram of her husband smiles, then disappears. Ymela closes up the desk and walks over to Jonas, feeling a bit calmer. 

"How long has it been? From what I can see in your eyes, many things have happened. Are you certain that you are ready to go into the Nightmare Realm? There is so much anger and hatred inside you that I don't think you should go. Maybe someone else should go in your place." 

Jonas face turns into a frown, and he moves closer to Ymela. 

"Twenty years have gone by. I have lost all I have but my thirst for revenge... and you hold the only way for me to extract it on those who deserve it." Jonas looked in to Ymela's eyes. "Don't dare to take that away from me; YOU still have parts of your world left... the Dragon Realm is all but destroyed." Jonas slammed his fist into the floor. "NOW OPEN THE GATE!" his eyes clearly displayed a challenge. 

"My lord, calm down..." Grendler interrupted. "she is one of the..." Jonas grabbed him by the neck. 

"Do not question..." Jonas quickly let go of him... his eyes went dark and he was startled. 

"Dragon never fights dragon." he whispered..."What have I become?" 

"You are becoming what you have hunted for so long. Allowing your hatred and thirst for revenge to consume you. If you do not step from this path, you will become a nightmare as well. I cannot allow you to enter into the Nightmare Realm. Otherwise, you will become the new ruler and all will be lost. I will lay down my life in order to stop you from this insanity." Ymela stated, her eyes flashing with an inner fire, and her wings opening up. 

"No, I will not fight you... but I have to enter the Nightmare Realm; it's part of the prophecy." Jonas said, backing away and taking a defensive stand. 

"I can feel in what I have left of my heart that Sammi needs me... Please, there must be a way." Jonas held up his hand and reached out for Ymela. 

"I want to say goodbye to her... what I have become could never be her husband again. I failed our children, and I failed her; please let me say goodbye." 

Ymela stepped close to Jonas, placed her hands on either side of his face, and looked into his eyes. She looked beyond the hurt, the anger, the pain and the hatred into the very heart of his soul. She smiled at what she saw there, hidden underneath all of the anger, hatred and sorrow. 

"Come with me, Jonas." Ymela said, taking him by the hand. 

She led him up the stairs to her livingroom where the fire was burning bright. Jonas let her lead him, so disheartened, feeling that all hope was gone. 

"I want you to sit right here to watch and remember, and I also want you to hold this." Ymela took a pair of tongs and pulled out a coal from the fire. 

"Hold this, you must do what you can to not let it go out. You must let the hatred, anger and desire for revenge leave; or this ember, which is symbolic of the hope and love you have still inside, will go out forever. It will burn you, but you must do this for your sake and Sammi's!!!" 

Then with a motion of her hand, Ymela caused the past to reveal itself inside the flame, all that has happened ever since he and Sammi first met, as well as Vision X. Everything that has happened up until the present. 

"Remember, don't let the ember go out," Ymela whispered. 

**Dreamweaver and Admiral**

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Hope is a fragile gift that is easily broken. Without hope, there is no chance of victory. When hate and anger exist, there is no hope nor love. Without love and hope, darkness reigns supreme. 

Amanda remembered reading that passage in the crystal castle. She thought it was foolish when she read it, but now understood its importance. Anon had been destroyed by her hate. Sammi was broken when Sinister took her hope away. Hope was the key to their survival, whether Vision X and the X-Men knew it or not. Amanda prayed that she could make the others see that. 

Amanda decided to find Charles to tell him what had happened to her. If their love was to survive, he needed to know the truth. Using her power, Amanda teleported to his room. When she got there, she saw Charles, Scott, Jean (who had appeared last night), Logan., Storm, Rogue, and Magneto all watching TV. When she moved closer, she saw what they were watching and cursed herself for not thinking about it sooner. Right in front of her, the X-Men were watching the X-Men movie. 

Thank Heaven Victor isn't here to see the fight scene on the Statue of Liberty, she thought. 

At that moment Victor walked in with Kat just in time to see that particular scene. He froze for a few seconds, then joined the rest to watch the end. Kat looked at Amanda and shrugged, and went to find her mother. When the movie was finished, all the occupants turned to Amanda, who looked like she wanted to run. 

I think I have a lot of explaining to do, Amanda thought. 

**A.C.**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

"Do you think she will be able to handle her powers?" asked a voice. 

"I do not know. She is different from the others. With the help of her dragon protectors, she may have the wisdom the others that were blessed with the gifts lacked." another voice replied. 

"She seems to have let go of the hate. She is one of the few who have. What if she is the only one to do it? The others must all let go, or she will..." 

"She will be destroyed by Anon. Yes, I know. Anon has been so consumed by the darkness that she needs it to survive. She has infected two of Vision X with her darkness. She will use their darkness to destroy Amanda. If she can get the others, all is lost." informed the second voice. 

"Why must Amanda face Anon on her own? Wouldn't she have a better chance of victory with them?" 

"The others must defeat a greater evil. They can help Amanda, but only she must face Anon in the final battle. The others are needed for the other monster." explained the second voice. 

"How can she win? She cannot kill Anon, or she becomes Anon." 

"She will find victory in the hands of defeat, and the arms of compassion." 

"I hope the others are strong enough to face that other creature. If they don't, it will kill Amanda. She cannot defeat her own creation." 

"She knows it, and so will they. The finality of this battle is already written. It is up to them to finish it." stated the second voice. 

**A.C.**

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Amanda didn't know what to do, so she reached out to the closest Vision X member... which was Ryan. 

/Ryan, HELP! They're watching the MOVIE!/ Amanda sent telepathically. 

Ryan was down the hall, and came running at the message. She came into the room and saw everyone looking at Amanda. Ryan grabbed her arm and said, "Amanda, I need your help with the Wedding." 

"Oh, OK." Amanda said as she went running out of the room with Ryan. When they got outside, Amanda said, "Thanks, I was about to become a dead Fearless Leader." 

Ryan laughed and said, "No problem. Now come on... we need to prepare for this wedding." 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

Sinister sat upon his throne in the nightmare realm, and began to think about how it all began... about his quest to create a perfect, new breed of mutants; his mutants. When Sinister had created Vision X, he thought that he had finally reached his goal... but most of them had proven to be disappointments. 

They are disappointments which must soon be rectified if my goal is to be reached, he thought to himself. 

Sinister's thoughts drifted to his first meeting with Anon; However, she hadn't been known as Anon then... 

**_~Flashback, Marvel Universe~_**

It was a fluke...one chance in a million which Sinister would surely never have again. When he had created his plans to capture the elusive Gateway, never in his wildest dreams did it ever occur to Sinister exactly what power was truly within his reach. 

It had been a stormy evening...Sinister and his minions had traced Gateway's whereabouts to a point within a hidden, underground cavern, deep within the mysterious depths of the Malaysian Rainforest. 

They had caught Gateway unawares, something which hardly ever happened. Before Gateway had a chance to react, Sinister had clasped the dreaded x-factor dampening device around his neck. There was nothing that Gateway could do. 

Sinister smiled an evil smile; at last, he could put his devious plans into effect. Just then, the cavern was filled with a horrific sound, like that of a thousand high pitched metal wind chimes being tossed around in a hurricane. 

Sinister's minions scattered and ran, then fell to the ground, covering their ears in pain. The dreadful sound was getting louder by the moment. Gateway sat on the ground; a single glistening tear in the corner of one eye was the only sign of despair on his mysterious face. 

"Let go of my son, or face my vengeance, evil one!" a voice made of a thousand silver chimes pierced the air. 

Sinister smiled. So, this is Gateway's mother...I had heard rumors, but had never suspected them to be true. She is very powerful, and will make an excellent addition to my crew. Now, how to capture her? he thought. An idea formed in his mind. 

From the legends he had come across, this being was out of the ordinary. She was made from energy rather than flesh and blood; she could transcend space and time, was said to possess telepathy and a great deal of other powerful gifts, and was perhaps the oldest being in creation. This wondrous creature did however have a weakness... as all energy, she had low points and needed to recharge every now and then. 

Sinister smiled as he realized what the underground cavern really was. It was a recuperating chamber for the creature. Sinister's eyes glowed evilly; he knew that she must be weak, and he would do his best to weaken her even more. 

"Everyone, get off of the ground, NOW!" He shouted to his minions. 

They complied, still covering their ears. 

"Start shooting everything you've got at the walls and ceiling of the cavern...NOW!" he ordered next. 

Sinister's minions drew their weapons, and began firing. The walls of the chamber began vibrating; rock and debris falling away to reveal a metallic structure underneath. Sinister smiled again... if they could damage the structure, the creature was sure to be his. 

"KEEP FIRING! FIRE AT THE METAL STRUCTURE!" shouted Sinister. He too drew his weapon and began firing. 

The chamber shuddered, as if in pain. Then a thunderous chiming sound was heard, echoing throughout the cavern. 

"Cease and Desist, evil one! I will not allow you to complete your mission!" said the voice. 

Two of Sinister's minions cried out in pain as a sparkling cloud of white energy swooped down upon them, melting their weapons and flinging them through the air. They crashed into a metal wall with a sickening thud, then slid to the ground unconscious. The others stopped firing and considered retreating, but one look into the eyes of Sinister convinced them to continue. Sinister narrowed his eyes... the creature was weakening, he was sure of it. 

/Just a little longer, and we'll have her.../ he thought, as he continued firing at the metallic wall. 

A creaking sound was heard... and a crack in one of the walls appeared. Sinister ordered his men to fire upon that wall. The crack widened, and more cracks appeared. A piece of the wall opened up to reveal a small chamber; inside was a metal capsule. 

Sinister knew what it contained. With the destruction of the Cavern, the creature had no choice but to retreat into the capsule to survive. She couldn't survive without it in her weakened state. Sinister knew he had her. Then the cavern began to fall apart. Sinister turned to Gateway. 

"You no longer have a choice. If you wish your mother to survive, you must work for me. Teleport us all out of here, NOW!" 

Gateway lowered his head and closed his eyes... in a flash of light, they all disappeared just as the rest of the cavern's ceiling caved in, right where they'd been standing. 

~Sinister's Lair, two weeks later~ 

Sinister's eyes glowed as he surveyed his finest creation. It had taken two weeks to find the necessary materials, and to build it, but it was finally complete. With the help of Gateway, Sinister was able to find out more about the wondrous creature he had been fortunate to capture. She was Anon, The Listener; Guardian of Earth and Pure Emotion. It was the pure emotions which kept her alive and good. 

Sinister now knew the perfect way to weaken her and turn her. He created a physical body which would not only contain her, but would also feed her only negative energy. She would never be the same again. And as only he knew how to maintain the body, Anon would be forever a slave to Sinister. 

In an energy dampening room, Sinister opened up the metal capsule to which Anon had been confined. She was too weak to fight, and Sinister drew her energy into the body. One scream of terror and pain, and it was over... or had it just begun? The new Anon opened her Silver Glowing eyes, then raised herself into a sitting position. She surveyed the sharp silver fur which covered her, and knew things would never be the same. 

**_~End Flashback~_**

Sinister smiled at the memories. And soon I will have the rest of them in my power, he thought. 

"It's just a matter of time," he said out loud. 

Unknown to him, Anon was watching from the shadows. 

Yes, father... It's only a matter of time... just a matter of time, she thought to herself. 

**Rainfall**

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Ryan and Amanda were in the middle of planning Athena and Bobby's wedding, when Victor came in to find Kat. He had become quite the father figure with Kat. Ryan was so proud of him. She watched him pick her up and swing her around. Kat squealed with delight and giggled. 

"He is really good with her," Amanda said as she noticed Ryan's attention drifting to Victor. 

"I can't believe he is really back." Ryan said. 

Victor walked over with Kat. He had been such a great father to her in the last few days. Kat was so in love with her poppa. All she talked about all day was "my poppa" this, and "my poppa" that. 

"So... when are we going to be planning your wedding?" Amanda asked with a mischievous grin. 

"When he asks me." Ryan smiled back. 

Victor froze when he heard what Ryan said. He had never thought of marriage before. It all made sense though... he loved her, and she loved him. They also had a daughter now, and he wanted Kat to have his last name. Now he was frozen, and didn't know what to do. True, Ryan wanted to marry him, but did he want to go that route? They had just gotten back together, and things where still shaky with them. 

**Le Fae**

Leilee bounced over to the rest of the girls. "Wassup, yo?" 

Ryan laughed at her. "Wassup, YO?" she asked. 

Leilee grinned. "It's a South Philly thing." 

Amanda grinned. "We're planning the wedding." 

Leilee's eyes lit up. "I'll do music! I can play the bridal march on the piano!" 

Ryan grinned. "Good idea!" 

Leilee smiled. "I have all the latest songs too, from work. I even have the new Britney Spears song, from choreographing the video." 

Amanda laughed. "Now that that's taken care of, what else do we need to take care of?" 

The three girls put their heads together and finished planning the wedding. 

**Leilee**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Athena set out in search of Jamar. She looked everywhere, but couldn't find him. She was starting to panic... she couldn't get married without someone to give her away! 

"JJJJJAAAAAMMMMMAAAAARRRRR!!!!! Where are you, I need you! Please come here, now!" Athena shouted exhaustedly into the air. 

Tired, she decided to just sit and catch her breath a minute. 

**Snowbaby**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Maggie always seemed to find herself on the outside looking in. It wasn't that she wanted things to work out that way, they just did. She sighed a little as she blew a long black lock of hair out of her face. It only bothered her at times like these. She searched around and spotted her guitar case sitting against one of the trees. Now there was an old friend. 

Her music never left her. It never made promises that it never meant to keep. No matter how mad she was, it always welcomed her like an old friend. She plucked her guitar out and strummed it a few times. Her fingers found familiar notches and strummed a country song. She was feeling a little melancholy, so it suited her. She shut her eyes and sang the lyrics. She was so lost in the music that she never noticed the soft tread of someone approaching her. 

Logan heard the sound of music, so he followed it. He saw Maggie sitting by one of the trees and decided to listen to her. Maybe we can talk when she is done, he thought. As he listened, Logan became mesmerized by the song. He stood next to the tree and just listened as the melody and the words ran through him. 

Maggie let the last threads of the music die away. For a moment she just sat and let the final chords flow through her. That's when she noticed her father standing there. She wasn't sure what to do about him, or the fact that he really and truly was not at fault for what happened to her mother. To say the least, she felt awkward around him and the others. 

"Hey," she looked up him. 

"Hey, darlin'. That was beautiful. Can we talk?" Logan said, waiting for her answer before he sat down. 

She shifted a little, and absently strummed her guitar. 

"Sure," she glanced at him from under her eyelashes. 

She could see how her mother would have been attracted to him. His eyes were intense. It was almost as if he were trying to look right through a person. 

"What are we going to talk about? Music, weather, or sports?" She felt the knot of tension tighten. She was trying to pick a fight with him. She was just feeling defensive. 

Logan could tell that she was trying to goad him, but he didn't want to fight... not with his daughter. He had already done that once, and didn't feel like doing it again. He sat down next to her. 

Looking at her, he said, "I want to talk about you and me. I wanted you to know that if I had known about your mother, or you, or Sammi, I would have done everything in my power to protect you. I would have moved heaven and earth to find you. I just wanted you to know that, no matter what, I'll always be there for you." He finished, close to tears. 

Maggie had to blink. This wasn't what she expected from him. 

"So, what happens now?" She asked him with a tight voice. "Do I fall into yours arms and just start calling ya daddy? Better yet, are you going to start tucking me into bed at night?" her breath was coming hard and rapid. She looked away from him and stared out at the beautiful water. "I used to want that more than anything else in the world." She told him in a soft voice. "I guess things like that aren't meant for people like us." 

Logan was taken back a little. He didn't expect her to accept him as fast as Sammi did, but she was trying to push him away. And as he looked at her, he realized that she was like him; he pushed people away so he wouldn't hurt them. But she was pushing him away because she didn't want to get hurt. The fact that she thought that he would hurt her, stabbed him in the gut. And out of that gut reaction, he slowly put his arm around her shoulders to pull her into a hug. 

Maggie struggled a little when Logan wrapped his arms around her. She was too used to taking care of things herself. She had a good life with her mother, but there were times that it was just plain hard. She learned not to bother Mom with trivial things. She learned to be strong. Now here was the one man that could make everything all right. Yet she was afraid. 

She was afraid that he would be taken from her too, and she would be left again... Wrapped up in her own pain. She just wasn't sure yet if she could trust him or any of the others. Still, it was so nice being wrapped in a pair of strong arms. He smelled of his favorite cigars and ocean water. Slowly Maggie relaxed and tentatively wrapped her arms around him. 

/Oh, God if you take him in the next breath, please let me have this second./ She thought to herself. 

As Logan hugged her, he thought of everything he had missed with her and Sammi. 

"I promised your sister that no matter what, I would be there for her... and I promise that to you." He thought as he hugged her, but he didn't realize that he said it out loud and that Maggie heard him. 

"Please make me no promises," Maggie leaned back and looked into his eyes. "Promises are made to be broken. Okay?" she seemed to search for a word, "Dad?" 

Logan saw the hurt in her eyes and said, "Alright. Just know that I'll protect you with every bit I have, always." 

Maggie swallowed hard and read the truth in his eyes and scent. For once thankful of her heightened senses. "So what now?" She dabbed at her eyes, hoping that he didn't notice and drawing on what little of her control that she had left. 

"Well, I don't know. I'm new at this. With Sammi she just accepted it. But I know you're not Sammi, and you handle things differently. So Maybe we should take this one step at a time?" He asked. 

"Who is Sammi?" Maggie asked, her confusion coloring her voice. 

Logan looked at her... he had forgotten that she didn't know who Sammi is, or was. He cleared his throat. 

"Well, You know that girl at the mall? That's Sammi. She's my daughter." 

Oh sh**, this wasn't something that she had expected. 

"You mean the one that disappeared?" Maggie could only stare at him with wide eyes. This meant that she had family. She wasn't alone. "Tell me about her, and what happened again," Maggie demanded. 

Logan was taken back by her reaction. 

"What do you mean the one that disappeared? Did you know?" He asked, confused. 

"I heard someone talking about some chick disappearing. There are so many people around here, I have a had time remembering all the names." then she muttered, "but I have the scents down pat." 

"Yeah, That was Sammi. She and her husband both disappeared. She was pregnant. We saw her at the mall, but so far no one knows about Jonas -that's her husband-, or their baby." Logan said as he looked at Maggie for her reaction. 

Maggie could feel the rage start to boil. Someone had dared to harm what was hers. They were going to pay, and in blood. She gracefully uncoiled from her father's protective arms. 

"Well, I suggest that you get off your ass, old man.... and kick your buddies into gear. Someone messed around with the wrong family." 

Logan looked up at the girl and smiled. /She's just as bad as Sammi./ He thought. 

But he said,"You know, You and Sammi got one thing from me besides the eyes." He stood up as she looked at him, confused again. 

"What?" Maggie asked. 

"My temper." Logan said and started laughing, and continued. "I got into a fight with her when she first showed up. And you both have the same attitude towards family." 

"Well when it's all that we Logan's have, what the hell do you expect?" She grinned at him, showing slightly pointed canines. "What do ya say, shrimp? Let's go get our family!" She stared down at him with a wicked look in her eyes, and arched one fine eyebrow at him. "Or shall I get someone to find ya a rocking chair?" 

**Lady_Yann & Jubilee_79**

Maggie and Logan headed for the house to find the Professor, and see when they were going after Sammi. But as they were walking, Jubilee came bounding up to them. 

"Where you goin', Wolvie?" Jubilee asked, looking at Maggie and him. 

"Goin' to see Chuck. We want to find out when we're all goin' after Sammi." Logan said. 

"Yeah, We're going to get my sister back." Maggie stated, and continued, "And make that creep pay for hurting her." 

Jubilee saw that she was getting mad and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. 

"I know we'll get Sammi back, don't worry. But first, I need your help." 

Maggie looked skeptically at Jubilee and asked,"With what?" 

Jubilee laughed. 

"With some pranks for Bobby and Athena. They're getting married before we leave." 

Maggie was still unsure. 

Logan looked at her and said,"Its ok. Go have some fun. Its going to be a hard fight." 

"Maggie looked at him and said, "I guess. I can help." 

Jubilee started bouncing up and down and said,"COOLIO!" She grabbed Maggie's hand and said, "Come on." And they took off towards Bobby and Athena's bungalow. 

**Jubilee_79**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Fifteen**

The light was bright as it poured through the shades of Cara and Jamar's bungalow. They'd been cut off from the group for the past couple of days. There were a lot of thoughts and emotions being flung around. 

/I love you, sweetheart./ Jamar says as he opens himself up to Cara. 

/I love you too./ 

"JJJJJJJJAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!!" 

The impact of the call knocks him out of bed. 

"Whoah! Something's up. I'll be back in a moment, luv." He says as he quickly kisses her, and 'ports out of the bungalow. 

/..But hon... you don't have on any pants./ 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Jamar reappears somewhere on the beach. Athena trips, but Jamar is there to catch her. 

She breathes heavily. "uh...j...a..mar..b.b.b.obby anddd...i are gettting married w..ill... you...give.. m.m.me away?" 

"Whoa, calm down, Athena. You and Popsicle are getting married?! Yes, I'd be honored to give you away." 

Athena's breathing becomes less ragged as she calms down, and notices Jamar fully. 

"Jamar, really big red hearts...Oh behave!" 

Jamar visibly blushes before he ices up his lower half. Jamar helps Athena up. She is still quite jumpy. He tries to hold her steady a little with telekinesis. She starts to walk off quickly. 

"What's up? Where are you going so fast?" 

"I gotta go find a minister." 

"You calm down, hon, and I'll handle that alright." 

A bright purple hole opens in the sky. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" *!!!THUMP!!!* A very dazed and confused priest hits the sand hard, bouncing. 

"Uh... Sorry Father!" 

The man is obviously flustered as he looks around and collects himself. The man stands, looking around in his boxers which have little angels with gold halos on them. 

Athena smiles, taking the priest by the arm and explains the situation. 

**Chaos**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda saw Logan and decided to talk to him. She knew he was anxious to save Sammi, but she had a feeling that despite anything they tried, Sammi could only save herself. 

"I know you are worried, Logan, but I need you to be patient. There is so much you don't know, and so much that must be faced." stated Amanda. 

"This coming from a woman who blew up a cop car because she was annoyed?" asked Logan. 

"Let's say that I've gained spiritual enlightenment since then. I know this is hard, but you must be patient. Sammi, Jonas, and your grandchildren depend on it." stated Amanda. 

"Why don't you just get rid of Anon? I've seen your powers. You're the Phoenix. You could stop her." demanded Logan. 

"First of all, I am not the Phoenix. I'm what the Phoenix was before it joined with Jean," replied Amanda. 

Logan looked stunned. What did she mean by that? The Phoenix was power incarnate. 

"Secondly, if I kill Anon, then I become her. You see, Logan... if any of us give into to the hatred, we become it. That is how Sinister and Anon got Sammi. I think that they filled her with so much hate that it has changed her. In order to get Sammi back, I think she needs to see the hate for what it is, and then let it go." 

"She's my daughter. How can I sit around and do nothin'?" demanded Logan. 

"You have to have hope, Logan. We have a great battle ahead, and we need to keep our hope and faith in each other strong to win. Believe in the love you two have for each other, and have faith in the fact that I will get your daughter back. Without that, Logan, we may lose you as well." 

Logan looked in her eyes and saw the truth. He knew he would get his girl back. He had to believe it. 

"Come on. We have a wedding to plan for." Amanda said as she pulled Logan with her. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Jamar watches as Athena and the priest walk down the beach. /Well, one crisis averted./ 

A gentle and familiar presence caresses his senses with feelings of love. Jamar turns to see Cara standing behind him in a pink and gray outfit. 

"Ahem!" She mutters, holding out a pair of pants, which he quickly takes and puts on. 

"Thank you, sweetheart." 

"You're welcome... but next time, luv, remember your pants. So now that we're up, I think it'd probably be a good idea to grab a little breakfast." 

"I'm starved. I think we should see if our son will be joining us today or not." Jamar begins to search for LJ, but Cara stops him. 

"He'll be alright. I think he went in search of his grandfather." 

**_~Elsewhere~_**

"Come on. We have a wedding to plan for." Amanda says as she pulls Logan with her. Wolverine hesitates as a bush moves to the right of Amanda. /Hmmm..../ Wolverine eyes it carefully, then shakes his head and continues walking. 

"RAHHHRRR!" Wolverine is dropped hard to the ground, the impact taking the air out of him. After the dust clears, he can see the figure of a blue haired kid sitting on his chest... a lopsided grin plastered to his face. 

"Gotcha, grandpa! Tag... yer it." LJ says before rushing back into the underbrush. 

Amanda laughs at the expression on Wolverine's face. "Go ahead, Logan... there'll be plenty to do. Take care of the little rugrat." 

Both Cara and Jamar witness this. They can't help but poke fun at him. //What's wrong, grandpa? Finally met your match? It seems that LJ is the "best at what he does", and he's only 9.// 

With that, Wolverine is off in chase of his grandson. 

**Chaos**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

_(The pound sign [#] denotes speech that is translated from Bobcat)_

LJ laughs to himself. /This is gonna be fun./ As he thinks this, a voice cuts through his thoughts. 

/Logan Jamal, do not hurt your grandfather, okay?/ 

/Alright mom./ 

Logan trudges through the underbrush smelling the air. There's no scent. /Good job, kid's maskin' his scent. But I'm the original Bad A**. I'm the best at what I do./ 

Just then, he's hit from behind by a coconut. Logan stands there rubbing his head. He turns at a sound. Popping his claws he whirls, bisecting a coconut which continues to float in front of him. 

/A distraction.../ it's too late to move as a tree unloads it's coconuts all over Logan. 

LJ sits in a tree overlooking the scene, his body morphed into something resembling the predator. He laughs to himself as he sends a message to Kat. 

**Kat!?** 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Kat is crawling all of 'Tooth as they wrestle on the beach. She pounces on him, knocking him back down. She wiggles her nose at him. 

**Hey, Kat, wanna have some fun with my grandpa and Mr. Creed, Hunh?** 

/Sure. It sounds like fun. Can Robby and Mac play too?/ 

**Yeah, the more the merrier!** 

"Dad, will you show me how to track? I wanna be just like you." 

"Sure thing, pup." As he says that, Kat morphs into a bobcat and runs off into the woods. Sabretooth slowly follows, giving Kat a head start. 

**_~In the Woods~_**

Wolverine claws his way out from under a few hundred coconuts, and begins scanning the area. /Hmmm... somethin's not right here./ A blur forms at the corner of his vision in the outline of a kid, which disappears. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Kat comes running into the woods wide-open, jumping up the side of a tree where she finds LJ waiting. She is still in bobcat form. 

#Kewl outfit. I wonder if I can do that.# 

**Don't try too hard. If you relax, It'll happen.** 

Within minutes, Kat's form mimics that of LJ's. They quiet down as Sabretooth bounds into the woods and stops. 

/Now where did the pup go?/ Creed continues looking and smelling. 

LJ shifts the air around telekinetically, keeping the scent of Logan and that of Kat's transformation away from Creed. 

**_~Bobby and Athena's Bungalow~_**

"What do you think guys, yer mom'll love it... don'tcha think?" Bobby says. 

"Can't I hold 'em?" Robby asks. 

"Okay, but be careful." He says as he hands Robby the wedding rings. 

Robby looks at Mac, and they both run for the door. 

"What the..?" Bobby says standing up. 

He takes one step, and flips over onto his back. After a careful look, Bobby notices a patch of ice and that his shoelaces have been tied together. Looking out the door, he sees an ice path heading for the woods. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Bobby enters the woods barefoot. They'd tied his shoes good. If they hadn't done it to HIM, he'd have been proud at how well they'd pulled this prank. /But I'm gonna get 'em though./ 

The sound of laughter draws Bobby ever deeper into the woods. /Aha! I gotcha./ 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Wolverine followed a trail, only to find it had been left by a bobcat. /That kid's good. Where could he be?/ 

Just then the winds subtley changed. Wolverine sniffs the air, catching a familiar scent. /Gotcha!/ He takes off in the direction of it. /I'm still the best at what I do./ 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

/Heh Heh Heh... found ya, pup. Yer good, but ya need practice./ 

Sabretooth runs full tilt and lunges over the side of a bunch of shrubs. 

**_~The Clearing~_**

Bobby enters the clearing, but doesn't see any kids. /Damn!/ 

All of a sudden, he hears a rustling, then.... 

"RAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

"RAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" 

Both Sabretooth and Wolverine pounce on an unsuspecting Bobby Drake, who ices up. It was a good thing too, because he had just lost bladder control. 

**Chaos**

Twenty minutes later, all parties involved sat silently in Athena and Bobby's bungalow. Athena was angrily pacing the room as the four children awaited punishment. Finally, she spun around. 

"Kat, L.J., get to your rooms NOW. I don't want to see or hear either one of you again until lunch. You are grounded until your parents decide what to do to you. Robbie, Mac, I have never been so dissappointed or ashamed of you. I raised you to know better than this. If this is how you choose to behave, then I don't want you to be here. There's a pilot waiting right now to take the two of you back to Nashville and Mishka. If I have to get onto you two one more time, I'll let Mishka enroll you in that military boarding school that she's always talking about. Understood?" Athena asked sternly. 

The boys nodded solemly, and left with the pilot after hugging Athena and Bobby. 

"And you two," Athena turned to Logan and Victor. "The best at what you do, isn't that what you always say, Logan? Well if you're the best at what you do, and you don't know better than this, then maybe you're obsolete!" Athena screamed. 

Suddenly large balls of fire blew Victor and Logan all the way to their own bungalows, leaving the two men dazed. Athena turned to look at the others gathered in the room. 

"If there are anymore shananigans around here, and I do mean any, whoever is involved will know what it's like to burn in hell. Do you all understand?" 

Heads nod, and faces show fear all around the room. 

Athena continues, "I'm not asking much, just that my wedding day be peaceful and happy. So far that hasn't happened! I swear if I don't get away from here, I'll explode!" 

All of a sudden, Athena just vanished into thin air; leaving a stunned and ice covered room in her wake. 

**Flame**

Ryan's eye's widened. 

"What happened to her??" She screamed. 

Everyone began looking around the room. Bobby began to panic. 

"ATHENA!!" Bobby screamed and began searching the room. "Where did she go?" Bobby had a look of sheer terror in his eyes. He couldn't lose her now that he had found her again. 

"Maybe we should split up and search the Island," Ryan said. 

"Good idea," said Bobby. 

The group split up, and Ryan went in search of Victor so he could use his nose to find Athena. 

**Le Fae**

**_~Down the Beach~_**

Cara and Jamar had just finished their breakfast. The latter part had been spent walking along the beach. The beach had become crowded. Families gathered to spend a blissfully happy day at the beach. They continued to walk the coastline, lost within their thoughts. 

/This is such a great place…So beautiful. I must remember to ask Amanda where exactly we are./ 

/I don't think I want to ever leave. I bet it would be a great place to raise children./ Cara says with a bit of wistfulness. This is not totally lost on Jamar, who squeezes her hand. 

/I know how you want a big family. We've already got LJ, and he loves you to death. And others will follow. You are so full of love... You're gonna make a great mother./ 

A wave of fear, anger, and frustration flows down the beach. 

"What was that?" Cara asks Jamar. 

"I'm not sure... but why do I have the nagging feeling that it has something to do with LJ?" 

Cara feels dizzy, and falls against Jamar who steadies her. 

"Are you okay?" 

"I'm just feeling a bit faint... maybe I've had too much sun." 

"Well, let's get back to the bungalow," Jamar says as he picks up Cara. 

With a wave of his hand, they both appear inside the bungalow. 

"I'm okay, hon. You can put me down... I was just a little hot. I could just use something to drink though," She says as she steps into the kitchen. The fridge had been well stocked. /Hmmm…I wonder why I have a sudden craving for a triple chocolate, peanut butter shake? I haven't had one of those in years.../ 

"Do you think you should be eating that much sweet stuff after suffering a heat stroke?" 

"Oh, I'll be fine." She says, then stops as she begins to sense three distinct presences in the room. Jamar doesn't seem to notice anything amiss as he watches her fix a shake. Cara concentrates deeply, her eyes half-closing, then suddenly opening very wide before she smiles. "Honey!" 

"Yes, luv?" 

"We…." Cara is cut off as Amanda's telepathic voice interrupts her, explaining the situation with Athena. 

"Uh oh! Logan Jamal!" Jamar snickers a little bit before once again becoming serious. 

He reaches across the room, his hand disappearing and reappearing with LJ at the other end. 

"What am I gonna do with you?" Cara asks sternly. 

"I SHOULD BE GIVEN ICE CREAM AND SENT OUT TO PLAY." he tries the Jedi style mind trick on Cara. 

"Sorry LJ, but that only works for your Father...you're out of luck. Now, we're going to see what we can do to straighten this mess out..." Cara says with a small smirk on her face. 

"You go to your room and think about what you've done. We'll be leaving after your mother finishes her shake. You better hope Athena's in a better mood when we find her." 

**Chaos**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda used her powers to locate where Athena was. It wasn't too hard. It was a small island, and she knew everyone's psychic signatures. She was slightly concerned about Athena's reaction to what amounted to a little harmless X-Men style fun. After some of the things they had pulled with the X-men at the mansion, Athena couldn't really yell too much at the kids. 

Amanda sensed that something had been bugging Athena all day. She wasn't quite as happy as she should be. The whole flame throwing deeply disturbed Amanda. She decided she should talk to Athena first before she told Bobby where his bride-to-be was. 

/Jamar, lock on to my psychic signature and teleport to where I am./ 

/Amanda, we're trying to find Athena./ 

/I know. I found her, but something is wrong and I don't know what it is. I think you should talk to her./ 

/I'll be right there, fearless leader./ 

Amanda was worried. She didn't need the team falling apart yet. They would soon be challenged by Nightmare, Sinister, Anon, and Samantha. What ever was wrong, she hoped Jamar could help. 

We have such little time left, she thought to herself. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Ryan found Sabretooth, looking very bewildered and angry about what happened. She tried to stifle the giggle that was threatening to come out. He just looked so cute when he was confused. 

"We need to punish Kat." Ryan said, trying to keep a serious face. 

"What are you smirking at, frail?" Sabretooth said, giving her another confused look. 

"You just look so cute right now. I'm sorry, I need to stop… let's go get Kat," Ryan said, putting a straight face on. 

"Keep that thought in the back of your mind for later." Sabretooth said as the two walked to their daughter's room. 

When they entered the room, they found it to be empty... but both knew better. Ryan knew better simply because she knew Kat's little games… and Victor knew better because he could smell her. 

"Honey, where did Kat go?" Ryan said in a mock concerned voice. 

"I don't know, frail. Hey, when did she get this funny looking cat? Frail, can't you even get the kid a decent pet? This one has no tail." Sabretooth said, pointing to an orange tabby cat that was sitting in the corner of the room. 

Both of them knew it was Kat morphed into a tabby, but they decided to play along. When Kat got nervous about being in trouble, she would have problems with her morphing abilities. 

"Maybe we should put it to sleep?" 

"Poppa, no, it's me!" Kat screamed as she morphed into her regular form. 

"Scrappy girl, why did you trick your father like that? And why did you get the boys to go along with those pranks?" Ryan asked as she sat her daughter on her knee. 

"I'm sorry, Mommy…. I was just feeling left out. Everyone is so busy.. I didn't want to hurt anybody." Kat said as she hung her head low. 

"Well, pup, I think you need to apologize to your Uncle Bobby and Auntie Athena… they didn't think it was funny, and they really didn't need this kind of stress before their wedding." Sabretooth said. 

"And you need to apologize to your father for tricking him." Ryan said to Kat, and then turned to Victor, "and you need to apologize for scaring the heck out of Bobby. You should be more careful, Victor!" 

"Me?" he said, looking confused again. 

"Yes, you! What if it had been Kat you found? You could have hurt her... and besides that, you really scared Bobby." Ryan had to fight the urge to kiss him again, he just looked so cute right now. 

**Le Fae**

**_~Several Islands Over~_**

A portal opens onto the beach and deposits a lone occupant onto the sand. /Hmmm…. Very scenic./ He walks several steps, then levitates a couple of feet, trying to get a feel for the surrounding area. 

/Amanda, are you sure that this is the correct island? I might have 'ported out wrong./ 

/I'm certain Jamar. She's around your position. / 

/Hold on, I think I see her./ 

On the other side of the beach, Athena sat on some rocks overlooking the water. An area to her right looked as if a meteor had hit it. There were scorch marks everywhere. Jamar lowers himself to the ground behind her. 

"Is this seat taken?" Jamar asks, flashing a lopsided grin. 

Athena turns and hurls a fireball at him, which passes right through him. 

"I'll take that as a yes then." 

/Be careful, honey. / Cara's voice says in his mind. 

Jamar stops joking, and his face becomes a mask of seriousness. 

"I apologize for the prank that LJ pulled earlier. He's really sorry. I don't know if that makes you feel any better, but maybe there's a way we can cheer you up." /Cara, luv, is that surprise we talked about almost ready?/ 

/Well the first part is... the rest is up to you. / 

"Come on, Athena. Cara and I have something special planned for you." 

"What is it?" 

"You'll just have to come with me and check it out, okay?" He reaches out his hand to her, palm up. 

"No more pranks, Jamar." 

"I promise you, no more pranks. If there are any more pranks, I'll fry their brains myself... deal?" 

"Okay!" She takes his hand, and they disappear in a ball of purple fire. 

**_~Back at the Main Island~_**

They step out of the portal, and are met by Cara and Amanda who throw a lei over the necks of Athena and Jamar. Behind them is a large table with the members of the X-family gathered around it. Bobby sits at the head, wearing a crown made of coral and ringed with seashells and starfish. 

"WELCOME BACK, ATHENA!!!" The X-women place a crown on her head, and motion her to her seat. 

The kids, happy to be out for the festivities, amuse themselves by throwing around an ice ball. 

"Sorry kids, this is a NO POWERS ZONE." 

With the help of Amanda, Jamar blankets the area in a negation field. The ice ball quickly melts. There is a chatter of disapproval from some, but the looks on Jamar and Amanda's face silences the throng. Then they both raise their glasses to toast the beautiful couple. 

**Chaos**

Amanda smiled at Jamar. Each had decided to give a toast, and she was to go first. She had thought about what to say for a while, and hoped it didn't sound too stupid. 

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I have always loved weddings. I think they represent the future and Hope. Most importantly, I think they represent love. The love of two people for each other, and the love of friends and family who join in the celebration. 

"Athena and Bobby, under all circumstances, should never have met. They both lived in different dimensions, and led very different lives. I don't know if we will ever know what really brought us all together, but I feel that this wedding is yet another reminder that it was a good thing." Amanda turns to the happy couple and smiles," I hope that today marks the first day of the rest of your lives together, and I hope you will always be as happy as you are now." 

Cheers rose up and every smiled at the happy couple. As they headed to the priest, Amanda hung back to watch the happy gathering. 

"This is almost as great as my wedding." stated Jamar. 

"I'm so happy for them." stated Amanda 

"So, when are we going to attend yours?" teased Jamar. 

"If Charles ever asks, you mean?" 

"I'm sure it's only a matter of time till you, Ryan, and Leilee marry your X-charmings." 

"I wouldn't count on Charles and me. There are too many barriers. I'm just going to enjoy our time together, and not get depressed about a lack of our future." 

"This wouldn't have to do with your new powers, would it?" Jamar asked. 

Amanda just smiled and headed towards the group. Jamar watched as she headed towards Charles and took his hand. Jamar knew that Amanda was hiding something. He couldn't read her mind because of her new abilities, but he was determined to find out what it was. 

**A.C.**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Sixteen**

Hope watches as Athena and Bobby walk down the aisle towards the priest; she is very happy that her friend is getting married to the one she truly loves. Athena looks so radiant... Bobby, waiting for his lady love, is stunned by her beauty. Hope listens as the priest performs the sacred vows, and as the two people she is fond of promise to love, cherish and be supportive of one another. A tear trickles down her face, she is so happy for them. Her gaze wanders over towards Hank. He smiles at her when their eyes meet. Could marriage between Hank and herself be in the future? One could only hope. 

Hope's attention goes back to the ceremony, as the priest asks "If anyone has objections to this union speak now or forever hold their peace." There is a moment of silence, but no one says a thing since all were agreed that Bobby and Athena were meant to be together. Bobby and Athena exchange rings after saying their vows. The priest then resumes. 

"By the Holy Power of God I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may now kiss the bride." 

Bobby smiles at Athena, Athena's eyes are sparkling and full of happiness. Then they kiss for the very first time as man and wife. And as they kiss, rose petals gently fall from the sky, scenting the air with their sweet perfume. Athena, once the kiss is done, gives her two boys a hug, then glances over at Hope and smiles. She knew Hope was the one who made the petals fall. 

Then Athena and Bobby run out of the area holding hands, smiling and ducking as their team mates and friends throw sparkling confetti and rice, wishing them well. 

**Dreamweaver**

Victor smiled as the new couple ran off. He thought about what it would be like to do that with Ryan. He wanted to just take her away from everything, and erase all the pain that he had caused her. Victor wanted to be a new man for Ryan and Kat. 

"Poppa… When are you and Mommy getting married?" Kat asked as she grabbed her father's hand. 

Victor didn't know what to do. Once more he thought back to how much he loved Ryan, and how happy he was with her. He just didn't know if he wanted to subject her to all the pain he knew he would cause her. 

"I don't know, pup. I don't know." Victor said, looking down to the angelic face of his daughter. He really did love them both. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Tina watched as the new couple ran off into seeming bliss. She had only known them a short while, but was very happy for them. She wondered if happiness like that was in her future. She glanced around at the various X-people. She felt fairly out of place among them. Tina really didn't know any of them all that well. Her eyes settled on Logan. I can't believe that's Sammi's father, she thought, I'll have to remember to tell Sammi what a jerk her father is. 

Tina and Logan had been fighting non-stop since they first met. It really did get on everyone's nerves, and they had been threatened by Ryan to be turned into bugs if they didn't stop. He does have a cute butt though, Tina thought. 

**Le Fae**

**_~Dream Realm~_**

Ymela leaves her livingroom after sending Grendler and Fyker outside to check on things. She pauses and looks at Jonas as he holds the ember she gave him. She smiles at him gently, then heads back down into the inner sanctum. 

/I wonder what is happening with the X Men and Vision X, time to check on them/ Ymela moves over to a small closet and opens it, then rummages through it. Finally after a bit of searching, she find what she was looking for. She brings out a brass brazier and some charcoal. She lights it, and as the fire burns, she looks in on the ones she seeks. 

She watches the events from Hope and Hank resolving their differences on up to the wedding. She notices that Amanda is talking to Jamar, and she sighs hearing that Amanda didn't feel that there was any future between her and Charles because of her new powers. Ymela thinks about what Amanda had said, and decides that she needed to do something. 

Ymela goes to her beloved's desk, opens it up then sits down to write a letter. The letter is addressed to Amanda. 

Once she is finished with the letter, Ymela seals it with sealing wax and puts her seal on it. Then she takes up a silver whistle and blows on it lightly. A little blue furry creature called a bamf poofs up next to her. 

"Now I want you to take this to Amanda and give it to her, then come back. All right?" 

The little bamf nods, takes the letter, and then with a giggle she bamfs (disappears)and does as Ymela asks of her. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

As Amanda is watching the happily married couple run hand in hand to their bungalow, she smells the strong scent of sulphur and hears a *BAMF!!* right next to her. Amanda looks down to see a blue furred creature reminiscent of Nightcrawler, but in a smaller version . She recognizes it as a bamf. She stares at the little creature in disbelief, never having thought that she would meet one. The Bamf hands the surprised Amanda the letter. 

"Excuse me, this is for you, Now I go!!" and it bamfs away. 

Amanda looks at the letter, stunned. Then she opens and reads, 

_// Dear Amanda, _

I am certain that you are not expecting a letter from me; but as I surveyed all that has been happening, what you said to Jamar disturbed me. You feel that there is a very good chance that you and Charles may never marry, especially because of your new powers. Well, dear Amanda, if you truly love him, no matter what changes you are going through, a way will be opened for you and Charles to be together. 

Sometime in the past I met my dear husband Malcolm. I didn't think that there would be any future where he and I were concerned. He had seen me in a dream, and he searched and searched until he found a way here to my realm. I have been around for centuries, and I thought that my powers would cause him to have jealousy, feel useless and drive him away. So I didn't tell him very much about me and what I was capable of doing. Thank goodness he was persistent. Finally I did tell him about my powers, and it didn't bother him at all. I do regret the time that I had lost because of my fears of rejection. 

Amanda... be brave, be strong, and tell Charles about what has happened to you. And if he rejects you, then he wasn't the one for you. It is very important that you get this sorted out with Charles before you face my sister, Anon. She will use the fact of you not telling Charles about your new powers against you. She will use whatever weakness you have to defeat you. 

So I plead with you to talk things over with Charles before the battle continues. 

Sincerely,  
Ymela // 

**Dreamweaver**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

As Athena and Bobby got to their bungalow, Bobby stopped and opened the door. He then turned to Athena, picked her up and carried her over the threshold. He kissed her, and put her down. He turned to turn on the lights, but Athena stopped him. 

"What?" He asked as he turned to find her staring at the room. 

He followed her gaze to see that the entrance room had flowers and lit candles set up. Bobby turned to the light switch to find a note. He opened it and it read, 

_// Dear Bobby and Athena, _

I figured the best prank I could play on you would be this... No prank. Just a totally romantic setting for your first night as Husband and Wife. Congrats, Icicle. It's about time you found the right girl. 

Your bud, always,  
Jubilee :) 

P.S. Maggie helped me. Did you know that she's Sammi's sister? // 

Bobby smiled and handed the note to Athena. 

**jubilee_79**

Athena read the note, and smiled. She put her arms around Bobby and kissed him. He kicked the door closed with a loud bang. They didn't bother to lock it, they knew no one would disturb them. 

"I really have to thank everyone for this in the morning, but please remind me to do something really special for Jubes and Maggie. This is really great!" Athena murmured into Bobby's ear, while waving a hand around indicating the candles. 

"Who said you were leaving this bungalow in the morning?" Bobby asked devilishly. Those were the last coherent words uttered in the bungalow that night. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Jamar, Cara and L.J. walked Robbie and Mac to the island's tiny air strip. Mac hugged them all three good-bye. 

The pilot walked up, smiled and said "Hi, I'm Carson Sommers, I'll be your pilot. When ever your ready, we'll leave." 

Robbie hugged them all as well, and said to Jamar "Thanks for what you did for my mom and dad. I felt really bad about everything, but you fixed it. It really means a lot to me that my mom is happy. Dad makes her happy... and tonight, you helped. So thanks again. Hey, is it ok if I call you Uncle Jar Jar, too?" 

**Snowbaby**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda had to escape. She couldn't take it anymore. Ymela didn't understand. She wasn't the same person any more. She didn't want to give up hope, but she didn't want to push the fact. She didn't want to put their love to the test and have it fail. She didn't want Charles to turn away from her in fear or disgust. 

Charles saw Amanda walk away, and could feel her fear. What ever has been happening to them, the bond that was forming, allowed him to feel everything she felt. He had never had such a bond with anyone before. They were connected in away he never thought he could be with a woman. 

Because of that bond, he knew she was fearing his reaction to what she had become. At first he had feared that she was becoming Phoenix, but then he felt her strength and love, and knew she would be capable of handling whatever power had be granted to her. 

He loved her, and now he knew was the time to prove it. He excused himself from the conversation he was engaged in, and headed towards Amanda. It was time he asked her the question he had been dying to ask her ever since he found her again. He only hoped that she would be willing to give up her life here, and be willing to live in his world. 

**A.C.**

**_~On a Plane to Nashville~_**

"So, do you think they found the note?" Robbie asked Mac. 

"No, not yet. Maybe in the morning." Mac replied drowsily. 

**_~Their Note~_**

Dear Mom and Dad,  
We just want you to know that we love you both, and we are really happy that you're together. We wish we could stay with you. We miss you already, and we aren't even gone yet. We understand this is a 'for your own good' kind of thing. We also want you to know one more thing...we want a sister. We know it's probably too late to ask for one for Christmas. We overheard someone say it takes nine months to place your order... they must be really in demand! I thought one would fit nice in an Easter Basket! Mac says he doesn't think the Easter Bunny is in charge of those kinds of deliveries. He heard that some big ugly bird does it. Kat says we're both wrong. You won't believe where she says they come from!?! It's really gross! Well, anyway, you know what we want most now. We love you.  
Bye,  
Robbie and Mac 

**Snowbaby**

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Amanda stood staring out at the ocean. She knew that their peaceful vaction was coming to an end. Sinister and Anon were at the verge of finding them. The battle would soon be at hand. She only could pray that they were ready. 

Charles saw her and thought she looked like an angel. Often during their last two adventures, he wondered how he could be so lucky to have someone like her loving him. He had given up on love because he realized that his dream demanded too much, and most women could not handle it. Amanda was different. She was like him in so many ways, he felt as if they had been made for each other. 

/How long are you go to sit there and stare?/ asked Amanda. 

/How long are you going to worry about me not loving you enough?/ he replied. 

/You don't know what I've become... how difficult a future together will be./ 

/I don't think you give us a lot of credit. I don't care about your new abilities, not in the way you think. My only fear is that you'll push them to the extreme to save everyone. If you do, there is a good chance that I'll lose you, and that is what scares me the most. I love you./ 

Charles could feel the tears in her eyes. He still didn't understand this new bond, but he found that he wouldn't give it up for anything. He loved the oneness that it brought. He loved that he could feel the happiness that his words brought her. He moved his chair towards her, and reached into his pocket to pull out the gift he had been meaning to give her. 

/You know that I know what you are going to ask./ she teased. 

/You know that I know that you know, and that I know what you are going to reply./ he replied. 

"I want to hear you say it out loud." she stated. 

"Will you marry me, Amanda?" 

"I would be honored, Charles." 

He gentlly placed the beautiful diamond ring on her finger and pulled her down on his lap and kissed her passionately. She responded just as intensely, and Charles could feel her love and happiness as if it were his own. 

"Should we tell the others?" Amanda asked. 

"Do you think we should wait? I know you want a traditional ceremony." 

"Do you think we could keep it a secret? I don't think your students are that good at keeping secrets. Besides, I don't know if Scott can handle it just yet. I think he's still in denial." 

"I can wait. I now we have all the time in the world." 

"One question. Do you think I should wear white?" Amanda asked. 

Both of them began to laugh as the waves gentlly crashed onto the shore. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Tina and Ryan sat in Tina's bungalow, enjoying some sisterly bonding time. They both had mud masks on and cucumbers over their eyes. Neither one of them spoke, fearing they would crack the mask. "Wouldn't it be nice" from the Beach Boys played in the background. The girls hummed along to the tune until they finally tired of the silence. 

"So, you and Victor okay now?" Tina mumbled, trying not to break her mask. 

"Not too bad. We are working on it. Kat has fallen in love with him." Ryan replied, also trying to keep from breaking her mask. "What's up with you and Logan?" 

"Besides for the fact that I hate him, the man is a piece of work. He is rude and mean. He had the nerve to come over to yell at me for being too loud when I was working out. He said with all that grunting, the kids might think something bad was going on in my bungalow. He is one to talk.. You know the other day I was walking back from the beach and I looked into his room… on accident… and he was meditating naked. What if Kat had seen that?" 

Ryan giggled at her sister's rambling. 

"What?" 

"Why don't you just ask him out and get it over with? Or better yet.. wait for him in his room in something sexy and really get it over with? There is so much tension between you two, it's not funny," 

Tina's mud mask cracked, "WHAT?!?!? I so don't want to go out with him… I…. I .. hate him." 

"Sure you do." 

**Le Fae**

Tina was standing open mouthed, staring at Ryan. 

/I can't believe that she thinks I like Him even a little bit. Well, except for the butt. I hate him. He's rude and arrogant, inconsiderate, and a major pain in the ass./ Tina thought as Ryan just laughed at her. 

"Look, sis. There is a fine line between love and hate, and you guys crossed it about two days ago. Why don't you just talk to him? He misses Sammi just as much as you do." Ryan said, forgetting the mask on her face. 

She felt she had to stop this before one of them ended up killing the other one. 

Tina looked at Ryan. /It makes sense about Sammi./ 

"Fine. I'll talk to him for Sammi's sake. I know she would want us to be at least civil to each other." 

**Jubilee_79**

Tina was searching for Logan when she saw Amanda and Charles approaching. She didn't truely understand their importance, but guessed that they were the leaders of this group. She eyed Amanda warily. This was the one who blew up her car. 

As they approached, she noticed that Amanda was wearing a ring that hadn't been there before. It didn't take long to figure out what it meant. As they approached, they both turned towards Tina and Amanda put her hand behind her back. Tina smiled to convey the fact that she had already seen it, and wouldn't tell. 

As Aamanda approached, she asked Tina, " Are you looking for something?" 

"Someone. I wanted to talk to Logan about Sammi." Stated Tina. 

Both Charles and Amanda smiled. Tina recognized the look. For telepaths, these two were clueless. She didn't even like the guy. 

"I believe I saw him heading down the beach. Tina, don't let Logan's gruff exterior fool you. I have known Logan for a long time, and I can assure you that there is so much that most people do not see." stated Charles as he left the two. 

Amanda smiled as she watched her future husband leave. Tina could see how much they loved each other, but they seemed such an unlikely couple. She remembered when she had first seen Jonas, and thought he and Sammi were a mismatch. Maybe love wasn't always about finding the perfect match. 

"He's right about Logan. He may seem cold and gruff, but he is one of the most caring individuals I have ever met. Do you know when I first met him, he scared me with his claw. I knocked on their door to ask if I could use their phone, and he answered by thrusting his claws in my face. I'm honored to be his friend." stated Amanda as she head towards Charles, leaving a very confused Tina staring after her. 

**A.C.**

Tina watched Amanda leave and shook her head. 

"That was weird." She said to herself. 

"What was weird?" A voice said from behind her, followed by the sound of gum being popped. 

Tina turned to find a young Asian American girl smiling at her. Tina thought about telling her, but thought better of it. 

"Nothing. I'm Tina, and you are?" 

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry. I'm Jubilee." Jubilee said with a huge smile on her face as she stuck out her hand. /So this is the one that Wolvie has been all huffy and Puffy about./ She thought as Tina shook her hand. 

"So, you're Sammi's friend?" Jubilee asked. 

"Yeah, and I'm Ryan's sister." Tina answered. Then when she caught the tone of Jubilee's voice as she said Sammi, she asked, "Did you know her?" 

Jubilee started laughing. 

"Yeah, I know her. She's my sis. She threw me in the lake once." Jubilee said smiling. 

Tina laughed. 

"That sounds like Sammi. So, are you Logan's daughter, too?" /Man, this guy has more daughters than the Kennedy's./ Tina thought as she looked at Jubilee start laughing again. 

"Naw, I'm his partner. We fight together. He watches out for me, and I watch out for him. But me and Sammi were friends and he's her father, so we called each other sister." 

Tina smiled at that. 

"Me and Sammi are like that. Do you by any chance know where I can find Logan?" Tina asked. 

"Yeah, He's over that way." Jubilee said, as she pointed towards the other side of the beach. 

"Thanks." Tina said as she headed towards where Jubilee pointed. 

"No prob." Jubilee yelled. 

Tina headed towards where Logan was sitting on a rock, looking out over the ocean. 

**jubilee_79**

Amanda smiles as she watched Tina head out towards Logan. The truth of the matter was that she liked the girl. She wasn't intimidated by all that she had seen. She was strong and self-assured. She was perfect for Logan. Ryan probably thought the same thing, which was why she was pushing her sister towards Logan. The amusing thing was the fact that if Logan and Tina got together, and Ryan and Victor got married, Logan and Victor would be brothers. 

/I wouldn't say that out loud. I am sure Logan would run from Tina on that fact alone./ smiles Charles. 

/Yes, you are right. You do know that she knows./ 

/Do you mind? [Amanda turns toward him, sits on his lap, and kisses him.] /I guess not. I guess we will have to tell everyone./ 

/I don't know. Let's see how long it takes your X-Men to figure it out. I bet my team will figure it out first. They notice detail better then yours./ 

/Really??/ 

/They all figured out how much we loved each other before any of the X-men. Scott is still in denial./ 

/What is the prize if my team figures out first?/ 

Amanda smiles and whispers in his ear. Charles blushes at first, and then smiles. Amanda smiles at his expression. Such a typical male, she thought. 

/Very well. What do I give you? The same thing?/ 

/Well, it would be nice. I think we will both win this bet./ 

/What kind of wedding would you like?/ 

/I always wanted a small chapel with friends and family. I would wear a simple white dress. You know. A really cozy event filled with love./ 

/Do you mind living in my world?/ Charles asks, a little uncertain. 

/I love your home. I love your X-men. I love you. I will miss my mom and sister, but my new powers will allow me to visit. I just want to be with you./ 

/I'm glad. I must warn you that I can become obsessed with my work... I can bury myself in it. When I fail, I am consumed by guilt and have been told that I sulk for days. Are you sure..../ 

/Just shut up and kiss me./ 

**A.C.**

**_~Robbie and Mac~_**

The small plane touched down at a quiet air strip outside of Nashville. Two very sleepy little boys climbed out. The pilot, Carson, walked the boys over to a dark haired woman. 

"I believe you're waiting for these gentlemen," Carson said to the woman. 

She smiled as the boys hugged her and said, "Hello Auntie Mishka." 

The woman helped the two boys into a chauffeur-driven car. As the door closed and the car drove off, the woman changed form. Robbie and Mac sat quietly and stared horrified at the blue-skinned, yellow-eyed woman before them. 

"Who are you?" Mac asked angrily. "Where is our Auntie Mishka?" 

"I am Mystique. There is no more Mishka." the woman let out a sinister chuckle. 

"Where are you taking us? Does our mom know about this?" Robbie asked. 

"I am taking you to meet someone very special. Actually, she's a relative of yours, your great-aunt. Her name is Anon. Has your mother ever told you about her?" Mystique asked innocently. 

The boys shook their heads no. 

"Well, I think you should be very afraid. And don't worry, your mother will know soon enough." Mystique laughed evilly. 

**Snowbaby**

**_~Nightmare Realm~_**

Kyle was bored. So far, Sinister had made them keep on the Down low. Only Mystique was allowed to go and grab the boys. Kyle wasn't allowed to knock Sammi around, so he'd have to go make his own fun. He grinned and teleported out of Sinny's Lair. 

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Leilee was in one of the large empty rooms choreographing the new NSync video. As she bent to rewind the tape, she heard a strange noise from the adjoining room. 

"Ok. I'm going to do something that you should never do in a horror movie. And I'm probably gonna regret it." 

Slowly, She walked to the door and stepped into the next room to investigate.. She was scanning the room when she was suddenly hit from behind. As she slid to the ground, Kyle grinned. 

"Yes, you will." he said, then he picked her up and teleported her back to Sinister's lair. 

**Leilee**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda sensed the danger with Leilee, and sent Gambit to help her. She also contacted Jamar and sent him to help. She turned towards Magneto and Xavier who were eating with her. 

"I think we've been found. Kyle is going after Leilee. I sent Gambit and Jamar to help." stated Amanda, getting up. 

"I'll contact the others." informed Xavier as Magneto went to help. 

"I have to find Athena and Bobby. Mystique has their kids." informed Amanda. 

"This is not good. I think we have to leave this little paradise and return to the real world.." stated Xavier, following her. 

"When we're all assembled, I have one last stop to take us. Somewhere where you all will get the answers to all the questions you have." stated Amanda. 

Amanda sent a telepathic message to Hope, /I need you to tell your mother that I am taking the teams to the castle. It's time they knew everything./ 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Tina walked down to the beach carefully, and stopped half way. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She didn't understand it; all she was going to do was talk with Logan about Sammi. 

"So why do I feel like a little school girl?" Tina asked herself as she turned to leave and go back to her bungalow. 

"What do you want, kid?" Logan asked 

"I just wanted to tell you I understand what you are going through about Sammi. She was like a sister to me." Tina said, walking towards Logan. Deep breath, Tina, it's now or never, Tina thought to herself 

**Le Fae**


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: R  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story.  
**Archiver's Note:** There is a reference to rape and attempted rape in this chapter; it's not really graphic, but I've changed the rating to R to be on the safe side. If the story still only seems pg-13, let me know and I'll change it back. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Seventeen**

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

Leilee moaned softly as she came to. Her head was throbbing and she felt sick to her stomach. 

"Oh good! You're awake!" came a voice from her left. 

She turned her head to look, and screamed as she saw Kyle sitting by her bedside. She tried to roll away from him, only to discover she had been tied to the bed. Kyle stood up and stepped closer to the bed. 

Leilee began to struggle. "Get away from me." 

Kyle laughed. "Yeah. Ok. Sure. And I'll let you go too." He reached forward and started to pull up her shirt. And Leilee began to scream..... 

Leilee 

Samantha was walking down the hall as she heard a scream. She recognized the voice right away. Leilee, she thought as she quickened her pace to where she heard the scream coming from. As she got closer, she smelled Kyle, and knew that meant trouble. I have to help her. She was the only one there when I needed someone, Samantha thought as she came around the corner. 

Samantha hated the X-Men for having her meet Jonas, but she still cared for some of the Vision X members. Well, she cared for Leilee at least, She was the one that helped her through her first miscarriage, and she had to help her. Besides, Sinister had plans for her. Sammi couldn't let Kyle ruin that. 

Samantha came up to the closed door, and she heard Leilee crying. She took a step back and side-kicked the door. The force from it sent the door smashing into the wall, where it splinted into several pieces. 

Kyle was sent back by the blow, but was fast to get to his feet. He stood in a defensive stance and glared at Samantha. 

"You should not have ruined my 'Welcoming'." He hissed at her. 

Samantha stepped into the room, never taking her eyes off of Kyle. 

"She's Not for YOU!" Samantha growled back. 

"Oh, my. Sammi!" Leilee cried from the bed. 

"It's Samantha!" Samantha hissed at her. 

Kyle took the fact that Samantha said something to Leilee to mean that she was distracted, and lunged at her. Samantha saw this, and as he got close enough she grabbed his shoulders and pulled her foot up. She made contact with his chest as she went into a backwards tumble. She threw him over her as she rolled. Kyle hit the wall on the other side of the hallway, and slumped to the floor unconscious. 

Samantha moved over to Leilee and untied her. She grabbed her wrist. 

"Come on. He's out for now. I have to tell father what he was about to do." she said. 

Samantha and Leilee walked out of the room, and Samantha made sure to keep Leilee at her side as they walked down the hallway. 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Bobby and Athena were sleeping, exhausted, when they had been woken by Amanda. 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MYSTIQUE HAS OUR BOYS!?!" Athena shrieked. 

"How did she get them?" Bobby asked, feeling confused. 

Athena was already out of bed and dressed before Amanda could answer. 

"Where are you going?" Amanda asked, though she didn't need telepathy to the know the answer. "You can't just take off after them. If you do, you will fail. We have a stop to make first, but then we will launch a focused attack. There are things that we have to know first, in order to successfully handle this." 

Bobby couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had been in the X-Men long enough to know that having a plan was important, but something just nagged at him. 

"So, we have to sit back and wait while he does who knows what to our children, but Kyle takes Leilee and you send troops straight in? Sammi and Jonas were the same way. They drop off the face of the earth, and that's ok, but Leilee goes bye-bye and let's wage war! Oh, this is a really fair method we have going on around here! Tell me, how do you get to be one of the chosen few?" Bobby shouted. 

Athena didn't give Amanda time to answer; she grabbed Bobby's hand and they vanished from the room. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Bobby didn't know quite what had happened. One minute they were in their room, and he was shouting at Amanda... the next minute, he blinked and then they were in a cave. Athena seemed mesmerized by something bright at the far end of the cave. As Bobby walked closer, he saw what appeared to be the sleeping form of a woman. 

She was all silvery light. She shimmered brilliantly. Then Bobby noticed her face. The features were vaguely familiar. He looked closer, the slope of the nose, it was like Athena's. The shape of the face too. The gentle arch in the eyebrows, the shape of her lips, it was all the same as Athena's. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

On a secret island, two little boys huddled together. 

"Do you think she'll be back soon?" asked Mac in a shaky voice. 

"I hope not." Robbie replied. 

Robbie looked at Mac. Mac's lip was swollen, his face bruised and bleeding. Robbie knew his own face must look much like that too. He thought something must be wrong with his leg; it hurt, and he couldn't move it. His side hurt really bad too. 

"I want Momma and Dad," Mac murmured shakily. 

Robbie knew their parents would come for them, but he couldn't stand to see his brother hurt anymore. He knew he had to do something. He closed his eyes and concentrated. When he opened them, he and Mac were no longer in their cell. They were in a hallway, sitting in front of Sammi and Leilee. 

**Snowbaby**

Samantha stopped in her tracks when she saw the twins appear in front of them. She walked over to them and looked closer at their faces. /Ok, first Kyle and now whomever would do this to innocent children. I want the X-Men to pay, but No children are going to be hurt. Not while I'm here./ She thought as she looked at their scared faces. 

"Who did this to you two?" Samantha asked. 

"That Blue Lady, Mystique... I think that's what she called herself." Mac answered, looking between Samantha and Leilee. 

"OK. I'll make her pay for that. Come on." Samantha said as she helped them up and led them towards her room. 

When she got there, she pointed to the bed and the two boys climbed up on it. She turned to Leilee. 

"Check them over. Clean and bandage what you can. The first aid kit is in the top drawer," she said, and then she turned and walked out the door. 

She locked it from the outside and went after Mystique. 

It didn't take her long to find her scent. She followed it into the throne room. When Samantha walked in, the only person she found was Sinister. Samantha walked up to him and grabbed him by his neck and held him. 

"What are you doing, daughter?" He asked as he gasped for breath. 

"Settling a score." Samantha hissed at him. "Give it up, bub. I know you're Mystique. You may shape shift, but you can never change your smell." 

Sinister morphed back to Mystique, who was still trying to get out of Samantha's grasp. 

"What Score?" She asked through gasps. 

"Two of them." Samantha growled." First, I know you were the First Dragon to go after Jonas all those years ago! You almost KILLED him!" She said through clenched teeth. 

She moved her arm slightly, and with all her strength Samantha threw Mystique to the far wall. Mystique's body hit with a sickening thud, and she slumped to the floor. She started to get up, but Samantha was right at her side. 

"And second. YOU NEVER HURT A CHILD!!!!!" She yelled as she repeatedly kicked Mystique in the stomach. 

When she stopped, and Mystique lay on the ground gasping for breath and moaning in pain, Samantha picked her up by the back of her uniform. With one hand grasping the collar and the other grabbing the bunch at the base of her back, basically giving her a major wedgie at the same time, Samantha threw her against the other wall. This time as her body hit, Mystic fell unconscious. Samantha walked over to her body and gave her another swift kick in the stomach. 

"And that's for making me think Jonas was dead the first time." she said. 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~Vacation Island~_**

Amanda was not having a good day. First she lost Leilee, then she lost Athena and Bobby, and now she had X-Men and Vision X yelling at her. Some days, she wished she never got caught in that dimensional rift. 

"Look, people. I am doing the best I can. I love how people think I can control everything. I'm not Phoenix." she stated. 

"You're not Phoenix?" questioned Jean. 

"No. Look, I know you guys need answers to your questions, and I'm going to give you them. Gambit, Leilee is safe. For some reason, Sammi doesn't hate her. The boys are safe too because Sammi is protecting them. Now, if that answers your questions about that subject, we're leaving." stated Amanda, as the group was suddenly surrounded by fire. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

"Where are we?" asked Tina, who was standing by Logan. 

The two teams were in the middle of a beautiful castle. The hall was incredible, with crystal chairs and pictures. The castle looked deserted, but it felt like there was a presence in the castle. 

"You brought them, I see." replied the second voice. 

"Yes, and they want answers." stated Amanda. 

"Yes, I can see. I agree, it is time to explain all." stated the second voice. 

"Explain what?" questioned Xavier. 

"To why you were all destined to meet." it stated. 

**A.C.**

**_~The Secret Cave~_**

A strange feeling came over Athena. She didn't know how, but she knew this woman was her mother. She glanced around the room and saw some form of writing on the wall. It was written in a strange language. She began to shiver when she realized that she knew how to read it. She couldn't recall ever having seen it before, but she could read it as clearly as she could read her own name. She reached back and grabbed hold of Bobby's hand. 

**Snowbaby**

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

Kyle sat cradling his bruised head and ego. A seething hatred was building inside him. Hatred at Sammi for getting the drop on him, and hatred at Sinister for not allowing him to kill her. Just then a nightmare creature in the form of a rat skittered across the floor beside him, startling him. In a flash of anger, black lightning coursed out of him, vaporizing the apparition. 

"I can't believe ole pale face won't let me kill that b**ch." 

The hatred burned hot, sealing his cuts from within. As he headed for the throne room's entrance, the nightmare guards withered at his fiery glance. The door slammed against the wall as he telekinetically opened it. The outburst scattered the gargoyle-like creatures on the other side. Before him was Samantha, standing at the right side of Sinister. Samantha sneered, growling at Kyle. Kyle's finger blades appeared, and he began to scrape them together. 

"Is there something wrong, my son?" Sinister asks in amusement at the power play before him. 

"Yes there is 'something wrong', FATHER! Your little pet is getting in my way, and has done so for the last time." 

Kyle advances on Samantha, and the guards step up. Sinister looks at them both and motions the guards to stand down. 

"SETTLE THIS, CHILDREN!" 

"I'd be happy to." Samantha says as she steps into the center courtyard and unsheathes her claws. 

"Fine by me!" Kyle replies as he joins her on the dais at the center of the courtyard. 

"Shields up!" Sinister says as a red shield envelops the two. 

They circle for a moment before exploding literally into action. Flying blades appear, spinning toward Samantha. Several catch her in the chest and arms. Her claws rake across Kyle's chest on her second pass. Samantha pulls the blades from her chest and arms, allowing her healing factor to heal the wounds. 

She flings them at Kyle who dodges…right into the path of a high-powered plasma blast. He synchs with her as the blast hits, but is unprepared for the pain as it plasters him against the force field. Kyle hits the ground with a sickening pop, smoke rising from his body. 

Samantha catches one thought as the field goes down. /I'M GONNA KILL YOU SAMMI, AND ALL YOU HOLD DEAR…/ 

As Samantha heard his threat, she walked over to him. Standing over him, she leaned down to look him in the eyes. 

"Go ahead and try. I have nothing anymore." With that, she turned and walked back to Sinister. 

**Chaos and Jubilee_79**

**_~The Dream Realm~_**

Jonas looked at the ember, puzzled... his hatred and anger had driven him so long and hard, and it had made him strong. He raised his hand, ready to throw the ember as far as his strength would let him... 

He stopped just short of throwing it. Was that all he was? Resorting to anger and blind hatred. Sammi was all that was left, and he had failed her... he could not even be sure that she was alive, but it didn't matter; his love for her was just as strong. 

He closed his hand, and looked at the ember. It slowly got hotter as his love for Sammi started to drive out his anger and hatred... Instead of letting the heat out into the air to save himself from pain, he closed his hand around it, letting the pain fill his mind. 

But the love drowned out even the pain; and the more pain he felt, the harder he pressed down on the ember, until his hate and anger had made it hotter than hell itself... but he still didn't let go. This was his last chance; one last chance for a redemption he had been looking after for 20 years. 

He could feel the power from the ember... and the power of hate and anger calling to him, trying once again to bring him down. But this time, he denied himself the strength that followed, and instead chose the hard and long road ahead of him. 

The pain stopped; and in a moment of complete clarity, he felt for the first time in a long time... at peace. He looked down at the crystal in his hand... the crystal that used to be an ember. The two dragons looked at him; and for the first time in a long time, they saw the Lord that they one knew. The calm light of his eyes, and the pure heart that had gotten them this far, only to be lost a short while ago... and now it was back. 

"Protect this realm, there will be no attack now, not here. Rebuild what you can, and explain to the dreamer that it's a time for dreams... not nightmares." Jonas knew what the crystal was, and he would be wasting no time standing around. 

A light shot out from the crystal and formed a gateway... Jonas stepped through, not even glancing back... 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Jonas stepped onto the ground of the Nightmare Realm, and stood there. For a moment, he remembered what the Dragon realm looked like when they got to it... His sensitive senses picked up on Sammi, and he started walking. He was still holding the Crystal in one hand while walking carefully in his gigantic dragon form, careful not to step on the crystal itself. 

It didn't take him long until he was standing face to face with an army of Nightmare Creatures, all with their magical weapons aimed at him... ready to kill. Jonas bowed his head and looked at them, his eyes filled with only his love for Sammi. He took a fighting stance; he would not be separated from her again. 

**Admiral**

**_~Inside the Crystal Castle~_**

The group that is gathered look confused by Amanda's words. Wolverine and Maggie had moved to the edges of the group, taking up a defensive stance; trying not to look too suspicious. 

Cara grasps Jamar's hand tightly as they stand off to the side of the group. They had been looking around the room at the decorative patterns. Something about the dragons didn't fit. 

/Something's not right./ 

Through the mindlink, their minds and spirits connect. Jamar loved when he and Cara connected like this... it was as if the whole Universe was talking to them on all levels. They continue focusing their perceptions closing the universal eye locking on confirming the dragon's place in the universe. 

The others continue to ask questions, while Cara and Jamar contemplate the touch of several new minds around them. 

/The others don't seem to have noticed them yet./ 

/Well I know that Amanda knows they're here, but everyone else is drawing a blank. Even Professor X is too occupied to notice./ Jamar rubs his temples, squelching the slight headache beginning to set in. 

/Well, at least we know that Jonas is here, Jamar./ 

~What are you seeking, HEWMAN?~ A voice rumbles within his mind. 

**What I seek, DRAGON, is of no concern to you! It is for your Lord's ears only. Take us to your master at once.** 

/We definitely have to work on your people skills, honey./ 

/I didn't wanna have to talk to him all day. Besides... even if he wanted to fry us, he'd have to bring us before his dragon lord. Sammi crossed over; and if our reading of Jonas emotions were right, he's either crossed over, or about to./ 

/We must hurry then. The last thing we need is for Jonas to go ballistic with a host of dragons at his command./ 

The four dragons drop to the floor, startling the X-men and members of Vision X. Without saying a word, Cara, Jamar, and their dragon honor guard disappear. 

"Hey, lady, what did you just do? You better start talkin' now!" Wolverine growls as he unsheathes his claws. In the background, he can hear Maggie echoing him. 

**Chaos**

_***WARNING!!!!!!!!! What you are about to read has a reference to Rape and an attempted Rape. If this is a hard subject for you, Please don't read.***_

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

After dispensing with the army, Jonas, in Dragon form, looked up to the sky. It was pitch black, but the full moon shined brightly. He remembered all of the times that he and Sammi had talked under such a moon. 

/I will find you again, my love. I swear it./ He thought... and he telepathically sent the message out, hoping that wherever she was she had heard it; and that the part of her that he loved was still listening. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Samantha was looking up at the sky. Her misery was great. She lost her love and her children. She had lost him once before... but this time she knew it was for keeps. Every thought that she had was of him and their two beautiful babies. She would never see them grow up... never see Jonas playing catch in the park with Alex. She would never be able to take Joey to the mall for a girl's only trip. 

She had lost so much, and now she was ready to make them pay. She had met Him in their world... the X-Men's world. If it weren't for them, she would have never been brought there to meet him. 

//I will find you again, my love. I swear it.// Even as the words entered her mind, they were gone. 

"Jonas?" She whispered softly. 

"Not even close." A voice said from behind her. 

Samantha spun around... she knew that voice just as she knew her pain. 

"What do you want, Kyle?" She said with pure venom. 

"I never got to 'Welcome' you properly." Kyle said with a smirk. 

He loved it when she got angry. She always seemed to spark with energy. 

"I don't need your welcome. So why don't you leave and I won't kill you." Samantha said, standing her ground. 

He glared at her, taking her in through all of his senses. He could smell her fear. /Ah, yes... FEAR, ANGER.../ Her emotions were so delicious to him. He licked his lips in a lustful way at the thought, as he regarded Sammi again in a new light. 

"What's wrong, little Samantha, don't wanna play with me?" Kyle says. 

Sammi cannot help but catch the subtle undertones in his voice. 

"Back up, bub... or I'll light you up!" Plasma begins to dance around her. 

"You think so? Then try me!" Kyle says, growling like a panther before he lunges at Sammi. 

Her plasma shot never reaches Kyle. It shuts off just before he takes her to the ground, pinning her. 

"HEH HEH HEH!!!" 

His mocking laughter escapes from him, rippling through her ears and mind. His hand shimmers, forming a hand of obsidian claws. He rubs them down her cheeks, drawing blood; then rips the top of her suit away. 

"Now we're gonna have some fun, and play by my rules." 

Samantha's head was reeling. She was fighting, but it didn't do any good. /It's happening, again./ She thought as her mind flashed back to that horrible night, just after she turned seventeen. She had tried to forget it even happened, but now it was all coming back. 

**_~Flashback~_**

Sammi was walking home from work. She was taking her time because Tina was cooking dinner, so she didn't have to rush. She decided to take the route through the park. She loved it there. In the summer it always was fully in bloom, and at night you could smell all of the different fragrances. As she was walking along, lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice that a guy was following her... until he grabbed her from behind and held the knife to her throat, and she heard his raspy voice in her ear. 

"Give me all your money." He said as he held her tighter. 

She could feel his hot breath on her neck. She handed him, her backpack. 

"Its in the front pocket." she said. 

He fished around in it, not taking the knife away. She heard him drop the backpack when he found her wallet. 

"Three Dollars!" He rasped angrily in her ear. "That's it?" 

"Yes." Sammi said through tears. "I don't get paid until Monday." 

"Then, I guess I'll have to take something else then." He rasped, and snickered evilly. 

He shoved her to the ground; and before she could move, He was on top of her with the knife at her neck again. He never said anything else. She couldn't tell what he looked like because of the mask he was wearing. In the end, He had taken her innocence for a measly three dollars. 

He left her there, clothes shredded and shaking like crazy. She somehow got home, and Tina had helped her get washed up and had stayed up with her for all of the nights that she couldn't sleep. Sammi refused to go to the cops, because at that time they were all guys; and all of the ones that she ran into thought that if a woman was raped, it was her fault. 

For three months, Sammi was a wreck. She never left the house. Hardly ate or slept. Until one day, Sammi realized that she was hiding because she thought it was her fault. Tina had brought that up to her, and Sammi vowed that from that day on, she would never think about that again. She swore that she would never be a victim. And now here she was, being the victim again. 

**_~End Flashback~_**

Something clicked in Samantha's head. She looked at Kyle lying on top of her, and she snapped. She couldn't use her plasma or telepathy, but that didn't mean she couldn't use her claws. She was born with them, so to speak, so no one could stop them from working. 

Without warning, she broke her hand free from his grasp and punched him in the face. As she did, she popped her claws. When Kyle fell back in pain, Sammi jumped on him and started slashing away. She wasn't just seeing him as she did that, she was seeing the man that had raped her before. She continued to slash away while saying, "Never again," Over and over again. 

When she regained her senses and saw what she had done, she started crying; for herself and for Kyle. She had killed him. His body lay there, shredded to pieces. 

"Oh, no, what have I done?" She said as she moved from the body. 

She moved until she was a few feet away from his body, pulled her knees up to her chest and put her head on them and started to cry more. She had killed him, but that was the only way that she could have stopped him. She had never taken a life before, and the thing that scared her the most was that she liked it. 

She liked the fact that she had killed Kyle. In a way, it gave her strength. But it also made her feel so guilty. She had taken a life without a second thought. True the guy was a bastard, and had tried to kill her on several occasions, but did he really deserve to die at her hands? 

She sat there and started rocking while saying, over and over again, "What have I done?" 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Could her life get any worse? One minute Amanda loses Bobby and Athena, then she loses Leilee, then Cara and Jamar disappear, and now SHE had. First thing she would do after this was over was to go on a vacation, preferably alone with Charles. 

/You can not help them anymore./ Explained the first voice. 

/What about Cara and Jamar?/ Asked Amanda. 

/They are all right, my lady. They are going to talk to an old friend. You must prepare for your fight ahead./ Stated Thanagar. 

/I am worried for them. I was absolutely confused when you all told me./ She stated. 

/They will be fine. You must prepare for your destiny./ Stated the second voice. 

/Listen to them, my Lady./ Stated Azmaru. 

/I want to talk to Charles after you explain everything, understood?/ Amanda ordered. 

/We will bring him, but he may not want to see you afterwards. You know the ways of mortals. They fear what they do not understand. HE may hate you after he knows everything./ Stated the first voice. 

Thanagar was angry at the coldness in which the voice had warned her. He could feel all the doubts return to his protectee, and he wanted to reassure her that Xavier loved her... but he knew that mortals did let fear stand in the way of love, and Xavier may let his uncertainty do that. He did vow that Xavier would pay if he hurt her, if it was the last thing he did. 

**A.C. **

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

Leilee's head shot up as she heard the sounds of a fight down the hall. She looked at the two boys, who were watching her, frightened. 

"Stay here. Don't move until I come for you." 

She waited until the boys nodded, and then ran down the hall. What she found was horrible. Sammi was huddled on the floor, and Kyle's mutilated body was nearby. Both were covered in blood. Leilee didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what happened. She quickly turned away from Kyle's body. She felt no guilt. Only sorrow that she hadn't been able to get a few shots in herself. 

She ran over to Sammi's trembling form and hugged her tightly. Sammi fought for a minute, but relaxed when she saw who it was. And the two sat there and cried. Leilee led her out of the room and to the nearest bathroom. 

Sammi quickly stripped and began to scrub, as Leilee left for a moment to change her clothing. When she came back, she gasped and took the cloth from Sammi. Her skin was red and irritated. She had scrubbed away much of the first layer of her skin. Sammi looked up at her with tears in her eyes. 

"I killed him. I killed him." 

Before Leilee could open her eyes, there was a soft knock on the door. Leilee turned around to see Robbie and Mac walk in. 

"Aunt Leilee? Is Aunt Sammi ok?" asked Robbie softly. 

Leilee sighed. 

"I don't know, sweetie. I honestly don't know." 

**Leilee**


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Eighteen**

Leilee led the boys into Sammi's room. They climbed up onto the bed and held each other's hand. Leilee looked at them and smiled, trying to reassure them. 

"You two stay here. I'm going to go get Sammi, and we're going to get out of here.Ok?" 

The boys nodded, as Leilee turned to Sammi's dresser and found a pair of stretch pants and a sweat shirt. She returned to find Sammi curled up on the floor of the bathroom, crying. Leilee walked over to her and said softly, "Sammi, We have to get out of here. And we need your help. Can you help us?" 

"Yes." Was the quivering reply from Sammi. 

As she sat up, she took the clothes from Leilee and got dressed. When she was done, she looked in the mirror. What she saw brought back more memories, but these ones were of her parents, because the streak in her hair had turned white again. She saw the claw marks from Kyle healing, when they were done she turned to Leilee and said, "I heard him." 

Leilee was a little surprised. She couldn't figure out what Sammi was talking about. 

"Who did you hear?" She asked, helping Sammi brush her hair out and put it into a ponytail. 

"Jonas." Sammi said as she looked at herself in the mirror again, before she continued, "Before Kyle...I killed...Kyle. I heard Jonas...in my head." Sammi silently cried again as Leilee hugged her. Sammi hugged her back and said, "I need Jonas." 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Cara, Jamar, and their dragon honor guard entered the chamber, only to find Jonas missing. 

"And he calls me headstrong. Where did the little idiot run off to now?" 

The sound of the first dragon growling behind Jamar raises the hair on his neck. 

"Do you think he's okay?" Cara asks as she reaches out for him. 

She finds him and breaths a sigh. His emotions have changed and they are no longer as dark, but sorrow still prevails. 

"AAHHHHHH!" Jamar drops to the ground in pain as the hate, anger, and sorrow cuts through him like a knife. 

/What is it, my luv?/ Cara queries through their mindlink. 

/Kyle's dead...Sammi killed him...The guilt and pain is eating at her./ 

/Oh no!/ 

/I guess we got a lot from dad. The temper, the strength, and the animal bloodlust./ 

The pain from Sammi and that of his own is too great. As Cara cradles Jamar's head, he cries. They may win the war, but at what cost? 

Chaos 

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

The creatures were thrown left and right; others ran for their lives as Jonas rampaged through their lines towards where he knew Sammi would be. But this time he didn't kill them... he only threw them aside or knocked them out cold. There was no rage anymore, only love... a love so stong that nothing would get past it. But he was getting tired... there were too many, and he could not fly; it was too narrow, and he would hurt his wings. 

Suddenly he slipped, and in a powerful roar he got pulled down on his side. He tried to roll over, but they grabbed his wing and pulled it. The next second there was a sharp pain. He coughed in surprise and looked down at his chest... a big monster stood there with his spear digging into Jonas' chest. 

For a second, Jonas didn't believe it...but the pain quickly made itself known as the creature twised the spear, and Jonas roared as much as he could with a punctured lung. Something came swirling through the air and hit the monster flat in his chest; it threw him away, and he let go of the spear... the rest of the nightmare creatures backed away, and fighting could be heard. A moment later... 

"Foul creatures, they never stay and fight if they know they will lose." 

Strong hands pulled Jonas over onto his back. It was Thor. 

"Forgive my late arival, thou would not have been injured if I had been here faster." 

"Fear not, just help me get this out..." Jonas pointed to the spear in his chest. 

"It is done..." Thor grabbed it and pulled it out, and as the magical spear came out, the wound healed quickly. 

They quicky exited the tunnels, and came out into the devilish grounds Of the Nightmare Realm. 

"How will we find them?" Jonas asked. 

Thor put a hand on his neck. 

"When I helped the children out, I had to fight all the way from the castle to not far fom here. I know the way." 

Jonas extended his wings. 

"Then we FLY!" he grabbed Thor carefully and set to the air. 

Thor thought for a moment how he would explain that the children are now older. 

**_~Sinister's Castle~_**

A Hammer crashed through the wall, making a small hole, and Thor jumped through. The next was bigger, as Jonas tore open a hole so he could enter. He stopped; Sammi, she had been here not long ago... but there was also the smell of death, but not her death... 

"SAMMI!" he roared, hoping that she would hear him. 

**_~Down the Hallway~_**

Sammi looked up as she heard her name; she sniffed the air and smelled Jonas and Thor. Leilee and the twins looked at her as she looked back the way they had come. 

"Auntie Sammi? What's wrong?" Mac asked as he and Robbie started to tug a little on her sweatshirt. 

Sammi looked down at them and smiled. As she picked her head up, she looked at Leilee and said, 

"Jonas is here, with Thor." 

Leilee was concerned and asked, 

"How do you know it's really them?" 

Sammi pointed at her nose. 

"It always leads to the truth." She reached down and carefully picked up Mac as Leilee picked up Robbie. 

"Come on. We have to get to them quick. I love him dearly, but he can be as bad as Jamar at times." 

"What do you mean?" Asked Leilee as they started to run down the hallway. 

"Well, He yelled. And if I could hear him, then Sinster or Someone else must have too. We have to hurry." Sammi said as they ran. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Thor looked at Jonas with a glare, as he clamped his big jaws shut. 

"Sorry?" Jonas whispered, and gave Thor a childish smile that looked real funny on the big dragon, and Thor started to laugh softly. 

"Let's find your wife." Thor smiled. 

They started to run down the hall, throwing away the odd creature unlucky enough to get in their way. Jonas saw the end of the hall was coming up, and that it branched off into another direction. He didn't know what might be on the other side, so he and Thor stopped just behind the corner. 

Sammi did the same on the other side of the corner; and for a moment they both just stood there until Jonas snaked his head around the corner... and looked right into Sammi's eyes. 

Sammi gasped from the shock of seeing a huge Dragon's head in front of her. When she saw the eyes, she knew who it was. And before Jonas knew it, *SMACK!* Sammi slapped him. He pulled his head back. 

"Why did you do that?" he asked in disbelief. 

"Because I have asked you over a hundred times. Don't do that!!" Sammi said, and smirked. 

Mac and Robbie started to giggle at the surprised look on the Dragon's face, because it's not every day that you see a shocked look on a Dragon's face. Leilee watched him as well. 

"Jonas?" she asked. 

Jonas looked at Leilee. 

"Yes, it's me... but we have to get out of here right now." 

"Yeah, good idea." Leilee confirmed as Thor started to swing his Hammer to open a portal. 

**_~Asgard~_**

The portal appeared and the group exited from it. They looked around the beautiful city, all of them finally free from the nightmare. Sammi looked over at Jonas. 

"Why are you still in dragon form? Why not change back?" 

Jonas turned away. 

"I don't know if I can change back... it has been a long time..." 

**Admiral & Jubilee_79**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Amanda watched from the throne room of the castle. She smiled at the scene before her. She prayed that Jonas would be able to change back in time. They had such little time left. She wanted to tell Logan and Maggie that Sammi was back, but the voice refused to let her see her friends. She wondered if the voices had told them the truth. 

/Everything will work out as it is supposed to be, my fair lass./ assures Azmaru. 

/You will be able to talk to your friends soon./ stated Thanagar. 

/If they don't run in fear of me first?/ doubted Amanda. 

/I thought you had conquered this fear?/ questioned Thanagar. 

/So did I, but what if Charles changes his mind? What if the X-Men don't accept it? What if my team hates me? What IF??/ she asked. 

/You must have faith in your team and friends. You must believe in the love that you share with Xavier. You must believe, or all will be lost./ stated Azmaru. 

/I wish I could be with them right now./ 

/You must finish your training and let them begin theirs.. You'll see them soon./ stated Thanagar. 

Amanda turned from the happy reunion in front of her and returned to her training, her doubts growing larger as time passed. 

**A.C.**

**_~Sinister's Castle~_**

Sinister sat upon his throne, contemplating his next move. A sudden roar filled the air, rumbling and echoing throughout the large room. Sinister jumped up, startled out of his reverie. 

/What was that? What has happened?/ he thought. 

The cloaked figure of Dischord entered the room. Sinister watched her as she slowly crossed the room, and walked over to stand before him. 

"My love," Dischord began, "Samantha has destroyed Kyle, and broken free of the mind control. Jonas has broken through our defenses, and both of them have escaped." 

Sinister's gruesome eyes narrowed in cold anger. /Ah, so Jonas has succeeded in rescuing his lady love.../ he thought. 

Sinister turned and walked over to look out of the window. He was furious. To have lost the children, then Kyle, now Samantha... Samantha was to have been the beginning of his new world. She would have been the leader, the mother of his new mutants. Sinister's lip curled with anger. She had betrayed him. She would pay, dearly. But, first... 

"Dischord, it is time to put phase two of our plan into play. You know what you must do. Go find the child born of Harmony. She is the key to our ruling the Universe. Find her and bring her here." Sinister ordered. 

Dischord turned, and went out of the room to do as her lord and master bid. 

Sinister turned and gazed out of the window once more. It was only a matter of time before he had it all. His lips curled up in a horrible smile at the thought. 

**Rainfall**

**_~The Secret Cave~_**

Bobby was startled when Athena clutched at his hand. He looked questionly into her eyes, then saw the fear and wonder that they held. Bobby took Athena by both shoulders, and turned her around to face him. 

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked softly of his wife. 

Athena took a shaky breath. 

"That writing on the wall. I understand it. I don't know how, but I understand it." she said. 

Athena looked once more at the writing on the wall... and her eyes filled up with tears. Bobby was beside himself with worry. He couldn't read what the writing said, but it was upsetting his beloved. He brushed the tears from Athena's cheeks. 

"What does it say? Please, tell me." he asked, softly. 

Athena took a shaky breath, looked deep into her husband's eyes, then turned once more to read the writing on the wall. 

"It is a prophecy, a legend of sorts." she began. "This is what it says." 

//From the mists of times, before the gathering of the Celestial court, there were the three sisters. The guardians of love and peace, the holders of truth. 

The days before the cataclysm and it's great split, Realm wars were fought at the cost of whole civilizations. During the gathering of the elders, an alliance was born and shattered by the coming Nightmare. The three sisters were separated, weakened, and overcome. 

Here sleeps the third sister, Omus The Siren. Healer, Protector, Keeper of the Waters. 

From the mists of time, she kept watch over all creation, using her Siren's song to heal. All was peaceful under her and her husband's rule, until the day when the Nightmare known as Sinastar appeared. Omus's husband was defeated, and to save her only child, Omus sent her far away. 

Omus battled long and hard against Sinastar, but her strength was drained from her sending her only child away. Taking advantage of this, Sinastar imprisoned her within the cavern. 

Omus knew that without her protection, her child would be in danger. Using the last of her energy, she split in two, and sent her other self to guard her daughter, Athena. Omus collapsed into a deep, dreamless, endless sleep, her last thought of her dear child. 

Alas, the Split was imperfect, and Omus's other self was but a shadow, a shell of her true former self. She no longer had her power, the Siren's Song. Cut off from that which she most loved, her gift of music and healing, she took on the name of Dischord. To this day she roams, spreading dispair and grief in her wake. 

All will be restored to its rightful state, once the child born of harmony is found. She, with her courageous, pure heart, will see what no one else can see. The ember of light within the one, who believes she has none.// 

On the last word, Athena's voice broke. That which had happened to her mother was so horrible. Part of her sleeping forever, the other part roaming the earth cut off from that which she held dear. Would Athena ever know her mother? 

Athena couldn't hold her tears back any longer. Her body became racked with sobs. Bobby took her in his arms and held her close. Athena buried her head in his chest and continued to cry. 

/Strange... Sinastar sounds a lot like Sinister... what does that mean?/ Bobby wondered, as he cradled Athena in his arms. 

The two were interrupted by a silvery voice, chiming in the air. Athena's head shot up, her eyes wide as she listened. 

"Child of Harmony, Daughter of Destiny... the key to a brighter future or darker dream. Through you, either and all may be achieved." Spoke the voice from out of the shadows. 

The couple turned towards the voice, Bobby standing protectively in front of Athena, his eyes filled with grim determination. The voice was beautiful, but it held a coldness and danger which he did not like. 

A cloaked figure stepped out from the shadows, directly in front of them. 

"Who are you, and what do you want?" demanded Bobby. 

"I am Dischord, and I have come for the child born of Harmony." spoke the silvery voice. 

At those words, Bobby iced up, ready to take on any evil to protect his wife. 

**Rainfall**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Amanda had been training when the voices called. They told her that Athena was in danger. She turned to the mirror to see that Dischord had been sent to do the task of stealing Athena for Sinister. Amanda had heard of Dischord and knew Bobby was going to need help. Using her power, she teleported to the cave. 

**_~The Secret Cave~_**

Athena saw Amanda and was relieved. She too sensed that Dischord was extremely powerful. Dischord turned toward Amanda and stared. She had not seen one of her kind in ages. The fact that one had been chosen by the voices meant that the prophecy was close at hand. Sinister need to be aware of this, as well as Anon. Those two had not finished their differences yet. 

"I am surprised that you are here, chosen one. Indeed, I am surprised that you were the one the voices chose. Do your friends know what you are? Maybe Athena would rather come with me than stay here with you."sneered Dischord. 

"You maybe powerful but it would be a mistake to underestimate us." warned Amanda. /Bobby, be prepared to get Athena out of here quickly./ Amanda telepathically warned him. 

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Xavier was admiring the structure when Magneto approached. The voices had told them that they needed to wait. Amanda had disappeared because these voices felt her presence was not needed. Charles felt some uneasiness about being separated, but did not say anything. Various members had formed little groups and were talking between themselves. 

"Congratulations are in order, Xavier. " stated Magneto. 

"For what?" pretended Xavier. 

"I am not as blind as your X-Men. I saw the ring and noticed how the two of you were behaving when we ate together. You did not make one comment about me harassing anyone. When will this wedding take place?" 

Xavier decide to be honest with his friend. 

"As soon as possible if I had my wish, but I know Amanda would like something more traditional... and she still afraid that I won't love her when I hear the truth." 

"It does happen. My wife left me. She never even told me I was a father again. I wonder if my life would have been different if she had." 

"I love her, Eric. Nothing will change that. She has to believe in that." 

"Give her time and yourself. The truth may be more than you bargained for, and will take time to adapt to, but I believe that you two will make it." 

"You care for her?" 

"Not in the way you do, but yes. She seems to see some good in me that I can't even find. She has been the kindest person to me, and she is aware of my past. She treats Victor and I like we were X-Men, and sees us as her friends." 

"I know. I'm glad that is all you feel." 

"Tell me, Charles, what would you have done if I felt differently..." Magneto challenged, but Charles could see the humor in his expression. 

"Believe me... you would not have recovered from what I would do." 

Magneto laughed out loud, and was soon followed by Xavier. This left most of the X-Men wondering if this was the end of the world. 

**A.C.**

**_~The Secret Cave~_**

Athena didn't know how, but she had heard the telepathic message Amanda had sent to Bobby. In fact, she could hear Bobby's thoughts as well. No, not hear, think them. It was as if they were her own thoughts. She deeply resented having her own private battles fought for her. 

She knew she didn't want to leave with Dischord, but neither did she want Amanda taking over things which did not concern her. The prophesy had said that Athena was the only one who could stop Dischord and wake Omus, not Amanda. Perhaps, Amanda needed to be reminded. 

"Amanda, you will take Bobby and leave this place." Athena could feel the argument rising within both Amanda and Bobby. She decided not to give them time to voice it. "You will leave, now!" Athena commanded. 

At that, Athena caused a flash of light, and Bobby and Amanda were gone. She had sent them back to the castle. 

"Dischord, I will not go with you." Athena told the creature. 

She really didn't know what she was supposed to do. Silently, she sent a message to Hope and Ymela, "Please, if you hear me, guide me." 

To Dischord she smiled and said, "I will not fight you. I will never battle against those that I love. I love my mother. You are a part of my mother, and I will never fight you. Even so, I can't allow you to succeed. There is a way to stop you, and I will find it." 

**Snowbaby**

**_~Asgard~_**

Thor laughed and slapped Jonas on his big shoulder. 

"Thou have faced hordes of creatures outnumbering your own in twice the number, yet thy have won every time. Never did Odin say he saw fear in thy eyes then, but now they are filled with more fear than anyone alone should have to face." 

Jonas lookead at Thor, somewhat annoyed that he was not allowed a moment of self pity, and Thor smiled. 

"Thy both have hearts stronger than thou shall ever know. Settle your disputes here and now... thy futures await thou." Thor chuckled and walked away, carefully pushing Leilee in front of him. 

Jonas watched as Thor walked away, until he suddenly felt a hand on his chin. He looked over to Sammi, her eyes filled with tears. He brought his own hand up to her face, and with one big finger stroked the side of it; a finger that could flip over a car by only nudging it, was now so tender. How was he going to explain that it had been so long, about the things he had done, and what he almost had done... 

Sammi closed her eyes for a moment as his finger brushed her face. She missed his touch, even in Dragon form. She didn't care... it was him, and he was there. She was so happy, well, as happy as she could let herself be after all that she did. She opened her eyes and looked into his. 

"What happened to you?" She asked. 

She could see the sadness in his eyes, and it made her sad, too. For a moment he turned away, but her hands guided his face back. Jonas bit down. 

"I have done... some terrible things, and..." he closed his eyes and let the memory of 20 years of war flow through his mind. 

Sammi saw it, their mind link stronger than ever; her eyes opened in shock as she took in the memories, and the fact that it had been 20 years for him. She gave him a hug around the neck; he opened his eyes and slowly she could feel his body change as he turned back in to human and returned the hug. Sammi held on tighter as she began to speak. 

"You're not the only one that has done things that they wish they could take back." 

She started to cry harder, and Jonas slowly ran his hand up and down her back. 

"Remember when we said that we will love each other, no matter what?" When he felt her head nod against his shoulder, he continued, "Well, It still stands. No Matter What. I'll Always love you." 

Sammi started to cry a little harder as she let the memories of everything she did flow through the mind link. He hugged her tighter as he saw the memories of what had happened to her before, and what Kyle had tried to do, and he felt both sad and angry. 

/It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself, please.../ Jonas sent back over the link. 

He felt Sammi hug him even tighter, and her cries became stronger. Jonas felt her fear of what had happened to her... now and in the past... and he felt he had let her down. He had promised to protect her, and failed. He cupped her head in both hands and looked Sammi in her eyes, wiping away the tears carefully with his thumb. 

"Never blame yourself for things out of your control..." 

Sammi looked into his eyes and saw the sadness that was there. She knew that look. 

"You should take your own advice." she said. 

Jonas leaned down and kissed her as she wrapped her arms around him again. She broke the kiss when she had a thought, /If Thor is alive, then where are my babies?/ 

Jonas heard her thought through the link. Jonas' eyes opened wide... their children!! 

"Thor said that we would meet them." 

They both sniffed the air, and caught the sent of Thor and two other young people that smelled familiar. They looked at each other and smiled. They both knew that smell... it was a mixed smell of each other. 

"I can't look..." Jonas said, his lips trembling. 

"We'll look together." Sammi smiled and took his hands. 

They walked hand in hand to where Thor was. As they rounded the corner, they saw Thor with two kids in his arms. As Sammi looked at the kids, she knew right away that they were her and Jonas' babies, but they looked about five years old. 

The little boy turned his head like he smelled her. She could tell that he was sniffing the air because his little nose was moving. Then his eyes grew wide. 

"Mommy!!!" he yelled. 

He jumped from Thor's arm and ran over to Sammi, and hugged her around her legs. The little girl looked at her brother. An emotional outburst like that was unbecoming of them, and she didn't want Thor to think less of them. Suddenly she looked at Jonas and saw his eyes; she froze... They were the same as her's... 

"Is that my..." her lip trembled as she whispered to Thor. 

Thor smiled. "Yes young one.. these are thy parents." 

She jumped out of Thor's arms and ran to Jonas, who knelt down and wrapped her in a hug. 

"Father..." she said low, and pushed her head against his chest. 

This was his daughter... these were their children. He hugged the child tight and looked at Thor. 

"Thank you... I'm sorry if I ever in my life feared that you could not do this." 

Jonas, still holding Joey, moved over to where Sammi was kneeling and holding Alex, and gave them a hug. Sammi wrapped her arm around the two and hugged back. ALL Four of them were together again. This time forever. 

**Admiral & Jubilee_79**


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Rating: R for violence  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story.  
**Archiver's Note:** This chapter got a lot more violent, so the story is going to remain rated R. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Nineteen**

Cara and Jamar sat hand in hand amidst the gathering of dragons. The noise in the background had long since drained away. Thoughts and feelings from the beings around them came and went like the crashing of waves on a rocky shore. 

In Jamar's mind it was hard to latch onto a single thought in the whirlwind. He could feel Cara's shields cracking against the torrents of emotions. All because Sinister had to play with the lives of countless families. Using them as his own personal science project. 

Cara's eyes took on a dark gleam. Her blood began to boil. For too long, she'd controlled her anger, her emotions. She'd stood idly by while those who meant the most to her were caused the worst agony of their lives. And still, she waited. Well, no longer would she wait, the time to wait was over. Now was the time for action. 

Ebony tendrils snake up Cara's arms making the host of dragons step back. She had never thought to use her empathic abilities like this before for fear it might burn her up as sure as it would her enemies. Her body is white hot as the ebony lightning coils down her body and into her fingertips. Her once red eyes now boil like living shadows. 

Jamar watches his wife burn bright with the emotions around her. She smiles at him as he takes her hand and kisses her. His body feeding off of the dark emotions around him. A lopsided smirk crosses his face. His hands raise up like talons, coming down rapidly, striking only air. Before him a void appears as if reality itself has been ripped apart. 

The dragons step back further only to stop at Jamar's gaze. He speaks softly to the host of dragons before him. "THE BATTLE MUST BE JOINED AND THE ENEMY DESTROYED." 

Several dragons step forward to join Jamar heeding his summons. Some continue to fight it, only to succumb after almost having their minds turned inside out. Their commander declines stepping forward to attack, only to be ripped asunder by 'Lightning Rage' unleashed by Cara. 

The dragon drops to the ground severely wounded. 

"If you go to them soon, Hope and Ymela will be able to heal you right up. When you get there I want you to deliver a message to the others..." 

In a bright flash the dragon disappears, only to be replaced by Eric. His eyes and body seem to mirror that of Cara's. Jamar's robes ripple around him as the winds from the void thrash the chamber. Some debris flies towards Cara, only to burn up as it collides with her. Ashes fly towards Eric who stands clad in what looks like a black version of Magneto's armor. 

Minutes later they all step through the void at the behest of the dragon horde. 

**_~In the Main Chamber~_**

Hope and Ymela tend to the injured dragon as the others gather round. 

"Speak brave, Deathsbane." Ymela says to the dragon. 

"The one known to you as Jamar, or Chaos as he now calls himself, sent me to convey this message. 'Lightning Rage, Replica, the dragons and I are going to END this. DO NOT GET IN OUR WAY!" 

**Chaos and Rainfall**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Amanda found herself back in the isolated chamber of the Dream Realm Castle. She was furious at Athena for sending her back, and at the same time, she was very worried. Dischord was strong, very strong. How could Athena possibly defeat her alone? Amanda was just about to transport herself back to the Cavern, when she was stopped by the mysterious voices. 

"Chosen One. You must allow the Child Born of Harmony to follow her own quest. She is the only one who can defeat Dischord, and bring Lady Omus back from her Eternal Slumber." said the first voice. 

"But she isn't strong enough, she will fail!" Amanda cried. 

"She must find her inner strengths herself, or all is lost." the second voice stated. 

"You have your own quest to prepare for and follow... for the prophecy is now at hand." stated the third voice. 

"What is the prophecy? What is the quest? What am I to do?" asked Amanda. 

"You were the one chosen to defeat the nightmare." Said the first voice. 

"But it cannot be defeated by any means of violence." said the second voice. 

"To defeat it, you must defeat yourself." spoke the third voice. 

"Defeat myself? What do you mean? How?" Amanda asked again. 

The voices began speaking again, one after the other, their echoes overlapping one another, reverberating throughout the chamber. 

"Call upon the strengths inside, search your heart to every hidden depth." spoke the first voice. 

"Find the strength which you never knew existed." spoke the second voice. 

"Find every darkness and banish it." spoke the third voice. 

"Find every source of light and feed it, strengthen it." spoke the first voice. 

"Call upon the bonds of friendship and love which you've denied yourself." spoke the second voice. 

"With the strength from your friends and loved ones, you can defeat yourself, your darker side." spoke third voice. 

"You must go on this quest alone." Spoke the first voice. 

"No dragon or human can help you where you go." Spoke the third voice. 

"The others will be needed elsewhere." Spoke the third voice. 

"But is she strong enough for this quest, Sisters?" asked the first voice of the other two. 

"She has to be," spoke the second voice. 

"There is no more time," spoke the third voice. 

"Only by defeating yourself, may you defeat the nightmare. If you cannot succeed on this quest, you will perish. You must succeed. Remember this, and be on your way." All three voices spoke at once. 

Amanda was suddenly caught up in a ball of bright light, and whisked off to another time and place, far away from anything and anyone she knew. Her quest for peace or destruction had now begun. 

**Rainfall**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Charles sudden stop in mid-conversation and stared blankly into space. Magneto was concerned until Charles' eyes began to refocus again. When he turned towards the door, Magneto was concerned until he saw Bobby come in alone. Then he began to panic. 

"Where's Amanda, Professor? I need her to send me back so I can help Athena. Athena is in danger. Another one of Sinister's psychos is after her." demanded Bobby. 

"I don't know where she is! The voices sent her away. I can't locate her anywhere." stated Charles. 

"I want answers. This has gone far enough. What is going on?" questioned Magneto. 

/The answers will be revealed soon. Both young women have to face their destinies by themselves. Believe in them./ stated the second voice. 

"Where is Amanda?" asked Charles. 

/She must face the one called Anon alone without help. To defeat Anon, she must defeat herself./ stated first voice. 

"What does that mean?" asked Cyclops. 

/All will be explained. Follow the light./ stated the second voice. 

**A.C.**

**_~The Nightmare Realm~_**

A sound like the ripping of sheets is heard as a gaping hole appears, spouting gouts of black flames and crisscrossing lightning. 

Dragon fire strafed the the grounds as they exited the tear. The three mutants walk towards the castle through a wall of flames. 

**Sammi where are you? Jonas? If any harm has come to you I will make Sinister view death as a pleasure before I'm through.** 

Cara begins calling out to Jonas, but there is no reply. /If you are dead, brother, then all of heaven shall burn before Sinister is allowed the privilege of death./ This thought is echoed by her twin. 

**_~Across Dimensions~_**

In Asgard, Sammi and Jonas grab their heads and hearts. In the Crystal Castle, Maggie grabs at her heart. It's as if the universe is trying to wrench their hearts from their chests. 

**_~Sinister's Castle~_**

The dragons bombard it from the sky as a plague of nightmare creatures boil from it's insides like rats from a sinking ship. As they approach, the first wave falls prey to Lightning Rage. The empty husks of what once were living creatures litter the ground. 

"Replica, get started on that gateway." 

Eric rushes over, his hands outstretched against the door as it burns bright and explodes. Shrapnel bisects several creatures on the other side. 

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Wolverine walks into the main chamber, supporting a weakened Maggie. Hope rushes to her side to help while the others watch the carnage unfolding in the Nightmare Realm. An image flickers across the crystal sphere. 

"This is all wrong." Ymela says. "You can't defeat evil by giving into your hate. They may win, but the darkness will take hold and they will become the nightmares." 

Logan and Maggie look over at the sphere to see Eric, Cara, and Jamar enter the castle followed by the dragons. Logan watches and fear creeps up his spine. 

**Chaos**

**_~The Secret Cave~_**

Dischord looked at Athena and smirked. Suddenly she ran down a corridor. Athena followed Dischord. The corridor widened into a long cavern. All along this cavern were tunnels leading to separate caves. Dischord sat down against the wall and waved for Athena to enter the first cave. 

"In order to wake your mother, you must face obstacles in each of these caves. Only then will you succeed." Dischord said. 

Athena looked at the first tunnel and said, "Well, I suppose it's best to start at the begining." She disappeared into the first tunnel. 

**Snowbaby**

**_~Asgard~_**

Leilee walked down the hallway, carrying the twins in her arms. They were both acting very shy and cranky, especially since it was now 11:00 at night. The boys squirmed as they tried to escape her grasp. 

"I don't wanna go to bed!" 

"I'm not sleepy!!" 

"I WANT MOMMY!!!!!!" 

Leilee looked at them both. "Guys, I know that you want your mom. And I'm going to try to talk to Thor and see if we can go home. But I need you guys to sleep right now. In the morning we'll start working on getting you guys home." 

Leilee laid them down on the big bed, and pulled the covers over them. "Now. Go to sleep." 

Robbie looked up. "I love you Aunt Leilee." Mac nodded as well. "Me too." 

Leilee smiled. "I love you guys too. Goodnight." 

She walked out through the connecting door and into her room. As she lay down, she rubbed her stomach absentmindedly. She had to get home soon as well, but for differant reasons all together. 

**Leilee**

**_~Inside Sinister's Castle~_**

Anon stood beside Sinister, gazing out the open throne room window, watching the battle unfold below them. Anon smiled a cruel smile. She lived for chaos, thrived upon it. Every death made her stronger. 

~That's right, children...attack...feed every darkness within you, and by doing so, feed me. Soon, you will belong here, you will be the new nightmares. No one will be able to stand in your way. You will have no choice but to join us. Come children, come to me.~ Thought Anon, her eyes glowing behind her mask. 

**_~Outside~_**

Lightning Rage, Replica and Chaos unleashed another devastating attack upon the next wave of nightmare soldiers as they poured out of the castle. Then Lightning Rage became even angrier. No matter how many of the creatures they destroyed, they couldn't get any closer to the castle. The nightmare creatures had them at a standstill. 

"ENOUGH!!!" shouted Lightning Rage. Her eyes began to glow darkly, as her face took on a frightning, deadly expression. She concentrated, and poured out her dark energy into the fray before them. 

"I grow tired of this rediculous battle. There is a more important battle to be fought and won, we will not waste anymore time on this... therefore, Fight amongst yourselves..." she ordered the nightmares. 

The nightmares had no choice but to contend with one another... leaving Chaos, Lightning Rage, Replica and the host of dragons free to move into the castle. 

**Rainfall**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

They watch as the battle turns once again. Blood and gore rain down from the sky. The glowing crystal sphere is hazy as it tints reddish-black with the essence of the dead and dying. 

All shudder as the last wave of creatures stop pursuing the group and begin to battle amongst themselves. 

**_~Inside Sinister's Castle~_**

Sinister's forces join the squad of demons heading to intercept Cara and the others. 

"TIME TO DIE, MORTALS!" The first demon screams as he launches himself over the group, landing behind Replica. The Demon thrusts the spear at him only to have it melt from the intense energy surrounding him. Replica reaches for the demon's throat, grabbing him tight, and flings him against a wall where it explodes into flames. 

"Don't you just hate the way they go to pieces?" He says, giving Chaos a look of pure pleasure. 

The three mutants dive straight into the throng of demons. Shadow blades pierce Jamar's shoulder. Eyes flare like pools of death and the demon explodes as tk rips it apart. 

"Are you alright, my love?" Cara asks as she takes his hand. 

"Whenever I'm with you, luv." He replies as they once more share a kiss among the death around them. The hate and death feeding them like gas to flame. "Brother join us." Eric takes their offered hands. 

A plume of living flame bursts through the corridor leaving nothing alive besides the dragons and the mutant warriors. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

In the throne room, another explosion rocks the castle. A nightmare creature enters, kneeling before Sinister. 

"Report!" 

"Sire, they have moved up another level... but they will not survive." 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

In the Crystal Castle, Wolverine and Maggie speak up silencing the group. "We're going over there, so Hope, make with the magic." 

"You're not going in alone." Cyke says as he begins issuing orders. "Storm. You, Multiple Man, Rogue and Warren will go with Logan. Everyone else who's going, stick close with me." 

**_~Back at Demon Central~_**

A demon kneels before Chaos and the others. 

"Tell yer master that we shall savor his death." Cara says before Jamar rips his arm off and shoves him through the vortex the demon had opened earlier. 

**Chaos**

**_~Elsewhere~_**

While the others were raiding Sinister's castle, Amanda was on her own trying to figure out what the voices had told her. She was worried for her friends and hoped that they were all alright. She hoped that they would be able to handle the danger that was destined to face them. She only prayed that they would not let hate and rage blind them to the truth. She also prayed that Athena was safe, and could succeed in her quest. 

When this is over, we're having a slumber party or something, she thought, it is getting way to serious. Amanda laughed softly to herself at the thought of the X-men gathered around in their pajamas, gossiping. 

~You should not lose focus, especially when I'm around.~ stated a dark familar voice. 

Amanda tried to scan the area, but knew in her gut that she wasn't going to find anything. HE was there, and she was alone. Her thoughts drifted to their last encounter, and she truly didn't think that she could beat him. She needed her friends, and they were nowhere around. 

As if on cue, the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise. As if in a dream she slowly turned around. Second by second he began to fill her vision. His armor had become more twisted and warped. He was the product of the darkest nightmares she had ever had. 

~Well, mother, it looks like your final battle will be with me. You will die here all alone, and the only one who will know where your body remains is me. Welcome to your nightmare.~ 

**A.C.**

**_~Robbie and Mac~_**

Suddenly, a flash of light shone brightly in the room, and Robbie and Mac were gone. When the light dimmed, Robbie looked around and saw Bobby. 

"Daddy, Daddy!" he shouted. 

He had never been so happy to see his father. Robbie limped to Bobby and tackled him around his legs, only to find that Mac had beaten him there. Robbie was a little slow thanks to his injured leg. Bobby picked the two little boys up and hugged them close. 

"Are you two ok? I've been so worried about you!" Bobby said between hugs. Anger flashed in his eyes and the cave cooled a few degrees when he saw the boys battered faces and Robbie's bandaged leg. 

"Where are we, Daddy?" Mac asked, his voice muffled in Bobby's shirt. 

"I don't know. One minute I was in the castle and the next I was here. Then you showed up. I don't know where we are or who brought us here, but I'm glad we're together." Bobby hugged his boys again. 

**Snowbaby**

**_~Elsewhere~_**

As Amanda watched the Nightmare advance towards her, the prophecy which the voices had told her began to flood back into her mind. 

_//In the days of flashing lights and moving pictures, in the time when music fills the air from no visible source, A new nightmare will come forth. Born of dark dreams and fears... set free by mystical means, this nightmare is the personification of all that is evil. Stronger than the heros of the time, lacking in mercy and all that is good. Only one will be strong enough to stop it's deadly wrath. The chosen one. _

Born of fire and light, with a heart of pure flame... She will find the source of the Nightmare's true power. By defeating the source, she will ultimately defeat the Nightmare. But, be warned, chosen one. The defeat of this Nightmare will come at a great cost to both you, and all you hold dear. But do not fear, for fear will only increase Nightmare's power. Look beyond your mortality to the true strength within. There, you will find the key to win.// 

When Amanda had first heard the prophecy, she had thought the nightmare to be the one known as Anon. Now she knew she was mistaken. This was the nightmare. With Anon, Amanda had felt that she had a chance of winning the battle. She did not fear Anon. But this creature which stood before her represented all of her darkest fears and nightmares. Here she was, about to face him alone. How could she defeat him, how could she win? Yet, she must... If she didn't defeat him, all would be lost. 

Dark energy surrounded the Nightmare, electrifying the air. He smiled a gruesome smile, his eyes glinting with dark pleasure; he could taste Amanda's fear. 

"I know you are afraid of me. There is no way you can win. Your friends might have had a chance of rescuing you and beating me, but they have abandoned you. They never truly cared for you. You have lost, Mother." Nightmare said, as he charged dark energy into his hands, ready to shoot it out at Amanda. 

Just then, Amanda had a vision. In it she saw Cara, the old Cara, smiling at her. 

"Hey, fearless leader. Just remember, you're not alone. We are all here for you... we all love you." Cara said. 

The vision switched, and Jamar's smiling face appeared. 

"Remember, Fearless one, you are not alone. We all are connected. Look inside yourself, and find the connection. Draw upon our strength. We are there, ready and willing to help you." Jamar said. 

Through the vision, Amanda saw the faces of each of her beloved teammates, each telling her that they were connected to her, and that she should draw upon their strength and love to help her. The storm of negative emotions brewing inside Amanda began to ease... she finally understood. 

She may be alone in the physical sense, but her teammates were there with her, both in spirit and mind. They would never abandon her, she was not alone. 

**Rainfall**

**_~Sinister's Castle~_**

Logan's group appears on the northern side of the castle amidst a wasteland of scorched earth. Blackened trees stand on either side of the group of mutants and small cadre of dragons Ymela sent with them. 

The bodies of nightmare creatures such as goblins, were-creatures, and some unrecognizable creatures litter the ground beside fallen dragons. 

"Stay frosty, people." Wolverine says in a gruff voice. "Creed. You, me, and Mags on point. The rest, spread out. If ya pick up anything, toast it." 

"Gotcha, runt." Creed says. The way he says that is not like the millions of times before when he was out for his blood. It's more like the times before when they served together. 

Wolverine smiles back at him and replies, "Alright, Slick." 

Mirage watches this with amusement before taking on a more predatory form. Her body covered from head to toe in techno-org armor. The landscape around her shifts from regular vision to infrared in a split second. She marches on, coming up beside Creed. 

"Stay close, frail, things are gonna get real hot real soon." 

"I know, honey." She says as she stabs her claws through a tree, skewering a chameleon like creature. "You might wanna stay close to me." 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Cyke's group touches down in the third ring of hell, literally. The southern portion is covered in a marsh. Flames spout from the swamps every other second. 

The only light source are dangerous gouts of lethal flames accentuating acid-like swamps. Cyke reflects on their earlier experience when Sonique dropped a canteen into it. It lasted one second before melting away. They'd finally found a way across it. Sonique was now creating a sound cushion which they were using as a bridge over to the castle wall. 

"Skin. You and Skinblade think you can repell up this wall?" 

"No sweat, Cyke." Skinblade says as she and Skin extend up the wall, pulling some of the others up with them. 

**_~Inside Sinister's Castle~_**

Replica begins to speak. "Sinny knows we are here and coming for him... why are we wasting time playing with his little toys?" 

"I agree, brother." Lightning Rage says. "Luv, let's say we take our messages directly to his ear." 

"Let's go." 

Lightning Rage's eyes glow, and dark lightning blasts through the upper levels. "I borrowed this move from Storm's bag o' tricks." She laughs as the debris rains down, bouncing off of Chaos's tk shield. 

They all begin to rise up through the ceiling to the top level. 

**_~Front Entrance~_**

"YUCK!" Mirage says as she reforms, letting the blood and gore fall away from her. 

"Is that all of 'em, gang?" Wolverine asks. 

Across from him Rogue and Storm land, taking in their blood soaked compatriots. Storms eyes flash and it begins to rain. Through the rain, the others see a bright flash. It shakes the castle and ground around them. 

"I think you over did it, Storm." 

"That was not me, Logan." 

They all rush in and see the large hole to the upper level. 

**Chaos**

**_~Elsewhere~_**

Amanda was drenched in blood, all her own. She had managed to deflect most of Nightmare's blows, but the last couple had hit hard. The first had knocked her off balance. The last few had inflicted damage. She felt her lungs start to fill with her own blood. She was close to death and they both knew it. 

~I would have expected more from you, mother. Aren't you supposed to be the leader of your team? What would they think of you now? You are dying.~ 

Amanda summond her energy and delivered a psychic pulse that sent Nightmare flying. Slowly, as if the weight on the universe was on her shoulders, she got up. Her ribs ached and her head was pounding. She knew at any moment she would faint and it would be the end, but she still got up. 

"All my life I have been a quitter. I always run away from things when they start getting tough. I leave my friends and family when they get too close because I'm afraid that I'll disappoint them. Well, for once in my life I'm not giving up." 

Nightmare laughed and replied, ~You are so close to death that anything you try is useless, chosen one.~ 

"I may die after this is over, but I'll make sure that you go down with me." 

The air was electrified as both opponents rallied all their power. The sky grew dark and the earth began to rumble. This was the fight Amanda had been born to face. All her experiences with the X-Men and her team had prepared her for this. She didn't know if she would see her friends again, but she knew that no matter what happened, Nightmare would be destroyed. 

She sent a message to her friends and prayed that they would hear it. 

//I love all of you, and I'll always be with you in spirit.// 

**A.C.**


	20. Chapter Twenty

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Twenty**

**_~Asgard~_**

When the first wave of energy from Jamar hit Sammi, she was knocked unconscious. Jonas had picked her up and carried her into one of the many rooms. When word got out, Zeus and Aphrodite came running. Aphrodite took the children to their rooms as Zeus inspected the damage. 

"What happened?" Jonas asked as he stood back and watched Zeus look Sammi over. 

"The wave was too much for her. He brother doesn't realize how connected they are. She should be fine in a little while, but you have to make sure she doesn't move." He said as he slowly walked over to Jonas. Zeus placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes and said, "The Battle has begun. Your friends need you. She will be fine, and I know she will be joining you soon. You must hurry; Her Brother and his wife and wife's brother are starting something that can never be reversed." With that, Zeus walked out of the room. 

Jonas walked over to Sammi, and sat on the bed next to her. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips and said, "Hurry, my love. You know Jamar doesn't listen to me." He stood then and left the room to look for Thor. 

**_~Two Hours Later~_**

Sammi slowly began to wake up. She felt what Jamar was going through, and knew that if he continued he would be heading down the path that she herself had taken a while ago... but she knew that with how far gone he was already, he might not ever be able to be brought back. 

She sat up and felt fine, until she tried to stand. She got dizzy and sat back down. She held her hand to her forehead as she received Amanda's message. A single tear fell from her eye. Sinister had to pay. He had gone too far, and it was not going to happen again. 

Sammi got up and headed towards the closet and found her uniform. She put it on and added the black leather jacket that Logan had given her last time, and she headed out the door. 

She was stopped in the hallway be Zeus. He looked into her eyes and knew what she was going to do. He opened her hand and put something in it as he kissed her forehead. He said, "Your Family needs you. You are the only one that can bring your brother and his wife and her brother back. Your father and Sister need your strength. You are the one in our dreams that will restore the peace. As your husband will bring back the Dragons, you will create the harmony that is needed for them to survive. That is why you have met so many times. That is why you'll continue to meet, for all of your lives. Now go, there isn't much time." 

He pushed her towards the portal that had opened in front of her, and she was through before she could turn and thank him. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

When Sammi landed, she found herself back in the Nightmare Realm. A chill ran up her spine as she looked around. She saw the blast of lighting and knew that it wasn't Storm, but that it was Cara. And from where she was standing, Sammi had a view of all the castle and saw that they were headed straight for the throne room. 

She looked down, and in her hand she held the mark of Zeus. What he had placed in her hand was no more, all that was left was the brand of the Gods on her palm. 

As she looked at it, she said, "By the Gods, He made me a Goddess." As she said the words, she felt the power surge through her and knew who needed her first and where they were. 

She ran to the entrance of the castle and to her father and sister. When she reached them, Wolverine and Maggie both looked up when they caught her scent. 

"Sammi?" Wolverine asked as he saw her coming up to them. 

When she reached them, she looked at him and smiled and said, "You were expecting the Tooth Fairy?" 

He laughed and gave her a hug, that equaled the one he had first given her when he found out that she was his daughter. 

"Pop, Again, I need air." She said through gasps. 

"Sorry." Logan said as he put her down. 

Sammi looked over to Maggie and smiled. She held out her hand and said,"I'm Sammi. And I'm your sister, and right now I need you and Dad to help me get our Brother back. Are you in?" 

Logan looked confused and so did Maggie. "What Brother, darlin'?" He asked. 

Sammi turned and looked at him and said, "Well, being bad leads to one thing. The bad guys always show all of their cards. And Dr. Cornelius and Sinister decided to show me theirs. I'm not your only daughter. Maggie and I are your daughters. And you also have a son. Jamar is your son. You didn't have twins, you had triplets. And right now my hot headed brother is on the verge of killing the one man who I have to face myself. So let's go and I'll explain the rest later. After I get Sinister." 

Sammi popped her claws, revealing her new Adamantium laced claws. Logan looked at them and set a hand on her shoulder. 

"I'm in." he said. 

Maggie, after quickly thinking it over, set a hand on Sammi's other shoulder and said, "I'm in, too. Let's get the Bastard that messed with our family." 

"Hang on." Sammi said. 

She concentrated, and a portal opened before them. They walked into it and came out in the throne room, right behind Jamar, Cara, and Eric. 

Sammi stepped forward and looked at Jamar and yelled, "He's mine! Stand Down, Jedi!" 

**Jubilee_79**

"Oh come now, sis, I got to him first." 

"He is mine, Jedi, STAND DOWN." The others begin to file in, taking in the scene unfolding around them. 

"Aye Caramba." Skin says as he sees the damage to the castle walls and ceiling. 

Sinister sits on his throne smiling, Anon grins at the argument beginning between brother and sister. Wolverine and Maggie circle around taking up defensive postures. Replica splits into three. The first two taking up positions on Wolverine and Maggie the other watching Magneto carefully. 

Dr. Cornileus begins to slip around to the side doors. "Where ya going Doctor." Rage says as she strikes the spot in front of him with a lightning bolt. Cornileus stops dead in his tracks. 

"We have quite a dilema here, sis. You want Sinny, but the three of us have Sinny. Hmmm.... How bout you fight me for him?" 

"I won't fight you." 

"It worked when we were kids. Oh, and just so you and Anon don't scamper off, Sinny. Try these on for size." Two bubbles of psio-matter envelope them. 

"What's wrong, Sammi, don't think you can take him?" 

"Oh, one last thing. Bye Bye Cornileus. I believe my family has no more use for you." Without giving him a backwards glance energy pours from Chaos, Rage, and Replica incinerating the aging doctor. 

The X-Men look on in horror. Replica speaks up, "I thought you guys enjoyed a good barbeque." 

Sammi steps towards the dias and Jamar follows. The scene seems all to familiar to her as the force beams cut on around them, cutting them off from the group. 

/Well, Sammi girl, there's no turning back now. Remember, this is not Kyle... this is Jamar, your brother./ 

"Bring it, bro'!" She says smiling. A familiar lopsided grin crosses both of the combatants faces as the thrill of battle hits them. 

While the fight's going on, Logan, Maggie and Magneto manage to knock out Eric. Cara steps back defensively expecting an attack, only to back up into a low level concussion blast from Cyclops. 

"That was too easy." 

**Of course it was, Cyke.** Jamar says as he half phases, half teleports through the force beams. "Now to finish off Sinny." 

"Don't think so, Yoda." Jonas says as he knocks Jamar out with a whack to the head with his tail. Sammi walks over to Jamar as Logan and Maggie bring Eric and Cara over to lay beside him. 

"He always has to do things the hard way. Just like dad." 

"HEY!" 

Maggie and Sabretooth begin to laugh. 

"She's gotta point, runt." 

**Chaos**

Sammi looked around the room. She looked at Cyclops and the others and said, "Watch Them." As she pointed at Sinster and Anon. 

Sammi called for Teb and Angelo to help her. 

"What's up, chica?" Angelo asked as they were standing in front of her. 

"I need you guys's help." Sammi said. 

"But How can WE help you?" Teb asked. 

Sammi smiled and said, "Because like me you both have pure hearts. And along with that comes the power to help another. I need your help to heal my brother and Cara and Eric. Are you in?" She held out her hand palm down as she asked them. 

Angelo and Teb looked at each other and then back to Sammi. Angelo grinned as he placed his hand over Sammi's, followed by Teb. Sammi smiled. 

She led them back over to the three lying on the ground. She had Teb and Angelo both kneel down next to Cara and Eric like Sammi was kneeling next to Jamar. 

Sammi placed one hand on Jamar's head and reached the other out to Teb. Teb placed one hand on Cara's head and placed her other on Sammi's. Angelo placed on hand on Eric's head and reached the other over to Sammi and Teb's. 

They all closed there eyes as Sammi started chanting. 

"Power of Love and Friendship,  
Send to me.  
The power to Free,  
Those who are close to me." 

She telepathically sent a message for Logan, Maggie, Sabertooth, Ryan, Jonas, and Jamie, who were standing around the six. //Clear your minds. Focus only on the love and freindship we all share.// 

To Teb and Agnelo she sent, // Draw and Focus the energy to them.// 

They all closed their eyes again and focused. 

Sammi could feel the power that was coming from them. And she sent a silent prayer to Zeus, to help this happen. This had to work she had to get her brother back, at any cost. 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Leilee's eyes popped open as she lay on the bed. Something had happened at Sinister's castle. And Cara was involved. Leilee could tell these things. The sixth sense ran strongly in her family, especially clairvoyance and telepathy. But there was no way this was a fluke. Something was wrong. 

She jumped up and pulled on jeans and a teeshirt. Then she took a couple deep breaths and concentrated. with an audible pop, she disappeared from the room and fell into Cyclops arms. 

**Leilee**

**_~Elsewhere~_**

Amanda was fighting her own battle with Nightmare. She was as near death as she had ever been before. She was bleeding internally and had too many broken bones to count. She was surviving on sheer will, and that too was running thin. 

She had thrown everything she had at Nightmare and though he looked bad, he was nowhere near as bad as she was. He took everything she threw at him, and returned it with interest. She didn't know what else to do. 

~There is no hope left for you, mother. I have won and I will destroy all who matter to you. You failed.~ 

As he approached, his words about hope rang in her ears. She remembered what was on the castle walls about hope, and then it hit her. Hope was the key to victory. Nightmare was created by every dark dream she had when she felt that there was no hope for her to be happy. 

As he approached, Amanda got up and created a psychic arrow. She filled with all her hopes and dreams. She filled with the love she felt for her friends and the love they felt for each other. She filled with all the goodness and joy that she could find. 

Nightmare realized what she was doing, and knew it would destroy him... and made one last attempt to stop her. 

~If you kill me, you kill yourself. Fire that arrow and you are dead.~ 

Amanda smiled calmly, took aim and stated, "Today is a good day to die." 

The arrow hit its target, leaving a massive explosion that destroyed the whole area. For anyone who saw it realized one fact. There was no way that anyone could survive the blast. 

**A.C.**

**_~Sinister's Castle~_**

Cyclops was very shocked and surprised when Leilee appeared. 

"How, what?!" was all he managed to say. 

"Sorry, Cyke, no time to explain," Leilee said, as she jumped out of Scott's arms. 

Leilee ran over to where Sammi and the others stood around Cara, Jamar, and Eric. They were her friends, and she desperately wanted to help. 

Anon and Sinister were still stuck in the Psi-matter bubbles. They watched what was happening with considerable interest. Anon kept her eyes trained on Cara... she knew what Cara held inside of her, knew what she carried. She couldn't let the members of Vision-X succeed in their plan to heal Cara. 

~Gateway, hear me... you must free me... listen to me, I am your mother... you must free me...~ Anon contacted her son telepathically. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Somewhere, in a secret room, a meditating Gateway heard his mother's plea. A single tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek, the only sign of emotion on his weathered face. 

He knew what his mother was, knew what she had been, and what she had become. Nevertheless, He loved her, and he couldn't ignore her plea. Gateway closed his eyes and concentrated... and used his powers to create an escape for his mother. But along with the escape, he sent her a telepathic message... 

~Somewhere inside you, mother, there is still good in you. I know it, I feel it. And I believe these new heros are the key to bringing you back. That is why I am releasing you.~ 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Anon smiled grimly at her son's message. ~Then you don't know me at all, my son.~ She sent back on the psychic link. She then quietly slipped out of the Psi-matter bubble, through the hole her son's powers had created. 

Storm and Rogue had been put on guard duty along with the others, but their attention had momentarily been diverted by the appearance of Leilee, and what Sammi was doing. They were both unconscious on the floor before they even noticed that Anon was out of the Psi bubble. Sinister saw that Anon was escaping without him, and he opened his mouth to berate her. Anon used another telepathic blast to knock him out as well. 

Anon rubbed her head... she felt somewhat drained, and the telepathic blasts she used to knock out Sinister and the two women had drained her energy further. But she couldn't stop now to rest. She had to reach Cara before the others succeeded. 

Behind her mask, Anon's eyes glowed with determination. By now, the other X-Men had noticed that she had escaped, and they were moving to intercept her. One by one, each X-Man that moved towards her was taken down by another telepathic blast, until all that remained standing were Sammi, Leilee, and the other eight of the circle. 

~Gateway, NOW!~ ordered Anon. 

Sammi's eyes opened wide as she caught on to what Anon was planning. But before she could do anything to stop it, a portal had appeared, and sucked the unconscious Cara through it. Simultaneously, Anon escaped through another portal. 

Sammi's heart broke as she stared down at the empty spot on the floor next to her brother. There was nothing that she or the others could have done to stop it, and she knew that where Cara and Anon had gone, no one could follow. All she and the others could do was to stay there, and concentrate on healing Jamar and Eric. 

Leilee closed her eyes in pain. She had been warned, but had been powerless to stop it. One of her friends was gone, and she wasn't sure if she would ever be back. 

Leilee opened her eyes with determination. /No, I won't think like that. We will get her back, I know it./ she thought. Then she stepped into the circle with the others, determined to add her strength to theirs so Sammi could heal Jamar and Eric. 

Just then, an earth shattering blast of psychic energy ripped through the air, causing all to feel its wrath. It left everyone feeling sick and dizzy. At first, no one could figure out what had caused it. It was gone almost as suddenly as it had appeared. Then, they understood, and their eyes opened up in shock and disbelief. 

The blast of energy had awoken everyone who had been knocked unconscious by Anon. Maria sat up, her eyes filled with tears as she understood what the energy blast meant. 

"It's Amanda... she... she's..." Maria tried to speak, but her voice broke, and she couldn't finish the sentence. 

Sean Cassidy moved over to her and pulled her into a hug. She wept into his shoulder, as the eyes of the rest of the rooms inhabitants filled with tears. All, that is, except for Sinister, who smiled as if he had won the battle. 

**Rainfall**

Sammi felt like she had failed. They had healed Jamar and Eric, but Cara was gone. And worse yet, Amanda was dead. 

Vision X had no leader. She was dead, but Sammi could tell that Nightmare was dead too. 

//Thanks.// Sammi sent out telepathically. 

She looked down as she felt Jamar move. As his eyes opened she rushed down and hugged him. 

"Jamar, I was so worried." She said as he slowly hugged her back. She started crying as she said, "Anon took Cara. We can't do anything to help. She has to fight her on her own." 

Sammi could feel the tears on her neck from him as he said, "I know." 

Sammi pulled back for the hug and said, "I have news, and its for the Whole Family." 

She stood up and helped Jamar up. Logan and Maggie walked over to them. 

Sammi looked at Logan and said, "You recognized the Doctor that Cara toasted, Right?" 

"He looked familiar. Why?" He asked. 

"Because of this." Sammi said as she popped her claws. Logan and the others had seen that they were laced with something before, but that this range Logan knew exactly what they were laced with. 

"Adamantium?" He half asked and half stated. 

"Yep. And I found out the truth. About a lot of things." Sammi said, looking over to Victor and Ryan. She waved them over. 

"What do you need us for, frail?" Victor asked, a little confused. 

"Because you are as much of this family as I am." Sammi said as she heard the mental questions around her. She took a deep breath. And started, "First off. Victor and my dad are brothers. They were both kidnapped by the Weapon X Program and experimented on. And behind all of that was one man. Him." She stated as she pointed to Sinister. "He's the one that messed with your memories. And he's the one that messed with us." 

"What do you mean, "us"? Logan asked looking back at Sammi. 

"Sinister was working with the Program. When you were in it. While you were there, you met and fell in love with Maggie's mother, who happens to be our mother too." 

"Do you mean?" Jamar started to ask, but Sammi cut him off with a nod. 

"Yeah... Me, Jamar and Maggie are Triplets. Logan is our father." Sammi said as she took a breath and looked over to Jonas. 

He nodded and told her through their link, /You're doing good. Go on, they have to know./ 

Sammi closed her eyes and continued. "When we were born, I was taken first because I was the oldest, and they started to experiment on me with my DNA. After they were done they started on Jamar. They left Maggie because she was the youngest and wasn't really up to handling what they were doing to Jamar and Me. When the time came that they were going to start on her, Our mother took her and ran. She got away, and no one from the project could find her. While they were looking for her and Maggie, Gateway got me and Jamar out. He brought us to Alpha Earth." 

**Jubilee_79**

Leilee pressed her hand against her stomach, a little worried about how the teleport may have affected the baby. But as she felt a small but strong answering kick, her worry turned into relief. 

She sighed softly and turned to look at the rest of the team. She didn't see Remy, so she assumed he had sitter duty. 

Turning to her teammates, she took a deep breath and said, "Guys? I'm not trying to be rude, or belittle Amanda's death, but I really think we need to pick a team leader, because I have a feeling that it's gonna get worse before it gets better. And I nominate Sammi." 

**Leilee**

Sammi was stunned. First she had felt Leilee's worry and was about to ask her about it, when Leilee came up with that. //Me. A Leader?// Sammi thought. 

She looked at Leilee and then the others and said, "I'm honored, but this has to be a whole group decision. I'm not sure if I'm ready; but if you all think so, It would be an honor to be your Leader. I definitely think the whole group has to voice their own opinions." 

Sammi looked over to Jamar and telepathically sent, //One crack about me being Scott and You're dead. Our Family is already starting to look like the Summer's family.// 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Xavier looked at Amanda as she lay on the pallet before him. He had felt the psychic blast, and knew at that moment that she had died. When he had enter this chamber to find her body encased in crystal, he knew for sure. 

Charles was surprised to she her looking so peaceful, like all her worries had left her in that final moment. She looked like she was peacefully sleeping instead of dead. HE could almost believe she would wake up at any moment. 

He saw his engagement ring resting on her finger. She was going to be his wife. Funny thing was that before her, he hadn't truly thought of marriage. It wasn't until now that he realized how much he was looking forward to it, and to raising a family. 

He thought how beautiful she would have looked holding their little girl or boy. He had not wanted another son after David, and did not want a family without her. He slowly began to cry when he realized that he had lost the most important thing in his life. HE had finally discovered the one thing that was more important then his dream. 

**A.C.**

**_~Sinister's Castle~_**

**Sister dear, you wound me deeply. I would never dream of comparing you to Cyke.** Jamar says. 

//I just bet you weren't.// Maggie voice is heard in their heads. 

**So, Mags, which one of us is Cable and which one of us is Stryfe.** 

//Uh, bro', yer broadcasting.// 

*** Watch it, wise ass!!! *** Cable retorts, but begins laughing out loud as Jamar shoots back with an Askani battle curse. 

Sabretooth, Wolverine, and Cyclops begin talking amongst themselves. Sammi listens, but only manages to catch a jibe that Cyke hits Logan with. 

"What was that all about, sis?" 

"Cyke was pointing out a bit of irony. Dad's reluctance to let telepaths in his head and the fact he has three telepathic kids with his temperament." 

Mags speaks up, cutting off her siblings' chatter. 

"Shall we put it to a vote. All those in favor of Sammi as our acting leader say aye or nay so we can get on to more pressing matters." 

**Chaos**

**_~The Secret Cave~_**

As Athena entered the darkened cave, it lit up. She saw, as if she were watching a movie, a scene from her life. It was a woman, her mother, holding her. She was unsure of what she was supposed to do. She had been prepared to do battle with evil, not stand and watch a peaceful scene. Quickly she ran from the cave and entered the next one. 

One by one, each cave held a moment from her past. Each one frozen in time. Athena couldn't understand what she could possibly glean from seeing these images. Some good, some bad, all the same in one respect, Dischord. It was as if someone had switched on a light in Athena's brain. 

She realized, for the first time, Dischord had been in every scene. Standing in the shadows, ever watchful. Athena ran back to the main cavern where Dischord sat against a wall. When Athena approached, Dischord stood. Athena walked closer until she stood only inches away from Dischord. 

"You were there, you were watching over me all of my life. That is the good in you. If you were truly bad, you could not love. You loved me. You protected me. I've just found your secret." Athena smiled. 

Suddenly, Dischord was struck from behind. A jagged beam of light, like a lightning bolt, had struck her through the wall of the cave. Dischord shook violently. Athena was panic stricken, she didn't know what to do. Then Dischord did something unexpected, she smiled. 

For a moment Dischord just froze there. Athena felt someone clasping her hand, and sensed that it was Bobby. Turning she saw the boys standing behind him. All stood mesmerized, as Dischord closed her eyes and was consumed by silver flames. When the flames subsided, Dischord was no more, and Omus stood in her place. 

**Snowbaby**


	21. Chapter Twenty One

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Twenty-One**

In a secret, underground cavern. In another place, another time, lay an unconscious Cara. In the shadows lurked the mystical Anon. 

It was cold. Bitter, endless, freezing cold. It was the first thing Cara was aware of when she first began to regain consciousness. She tried to move, to open her eyes, to no avail. Images flashed across her closed eyelids. Dark memories, visions of death and destruction, playing themselves out in the battlefield of her mind. Death and destruction which she, her husband, and her brother had caused. 

~Little one....~ spoke a soft, silvery voice into Cara's mind. 

/Anon.../ Cara thought, as she struggled harder to wake up. 

~Yes, my child... it is I, Anon.~ 

/What do you want? Where am I? Why have you brought me here?/ 

~Because of what you have done, what you have become.~ said the silvery voice. 

/What? What are you talking about?/ 

~For years you fought the nightmares, in a battlefield created in your dreams. You thought to play the hero... you thought yourself to be the good in a sea of evil, but time after time you proved yourself to be no better than they.~ 

~They caused you pain, misery and fear. Gradually, you gained control over your dreams, but instead of stopping the madness, you continued it. You wanted all of the nightmares to feel the same pain and fear which they had caused you. You plotted revenge, and it was sweet.~ 

~After some time had passed, you understood what it was doing to you, what you were becoming. A monster, a nightmare, more bitter and cold than one you had ever dreamed. Frightened for what the future held for you, you regained control over yourself, and banished the darkness to the furthest corners of your mind.~ 

~But you couldn't cheat the future, you couldn't cheat your destiny. You postponed it for a time, but you were destined to become one of the very nightmares which you fought. In the raid against Sinister's Castle, you gave into your darker side... to the hate and negative emotions which plagued your childhood. You became the monster of your past... delighting in destruction and pain. It is your destiny, and it is destiny which you will share with your unborn children.~ 

/Children? What children.../ Cara thought. 

She began to remember something. It was when she was back on the tropical island. She and Jamar had been standing in the kitchen of their bungalow, when Cara suddenly sensed three new presences. She didn't quite understand it then, but she understood now. They belonged to her unborn children. 

~Yes, little one. Your children. The children which you had waited for, and wanted for so long.~ 

/My children.../ Cara thought with a small shred of happiness. 

For years, Cara and Jamar had wanted children, but she had been unable to bear any. Now, she carried three. She wished she could share the news with Jamar, but she didn't sense his presence anywhere. 

~I can feel your happiness, little one... but it won't last. Your children are destined to follow the path which you have set for them this day. There is nothing which will alter their course. Look now, at what the future holds for your children...~ 

Cara gasped at the dark images which sprang forth into her mind. Images of her daughter and two sons, all radiating pure evil as they led the dark armies of the nightmare realm. All delighting in the pain which they caused others. 

/NO!!! This is not the future I wanted for my children. It cannot happen... I will not allow it... I cannot allow it!/ Cara thought frantically. 

With a surge of energy and will which she never knew she had, Cara awoke, and sprang up from the floor to her feet in one swift movement. She turned to face the cloaked figure of Anon, who stepped out of the shadows and moved to stand before her. 

"I will never let you have my children... never..." Cara spoke, her voice low and even. 

~You have no choice. You are already one of us, and they are ours as well. Your own dark emotions will in time infuse themselves with your children. You, yourself, will ultimately corrupt them.~ 

"NO...I don't believe you...it can't be true..." 

~You don't believe me? Feel towards them, and find out for yourself...~ 

Cara opened her eyes wide. She felt towards her children, then gasped in horror. Love and light were dimming, and darkness was beginning to build. Cara's emotions were a whirlwind of darkness. If something wasn't done soon, her children would be lost to that darkness. 

~There is nothing which you can do. It is your destiny, and theirs.~ spoke Anon, with the air of one who has won. 

Suddenly, a burst of psychic energy washed through the cavern; causing Anon to look up in fear, and the hairs on the back of Cara's neck to stand on end. 

~There is no destiny which a person does not write themselves...~ spoke a familiar voice from out of the darkness. 

Cara gasped at the sound. "Amanda?!" she said. 

~Yes, Cara. I am here. I am with every one of you, never forget that. I must go now... my time here is limited. But, you must remember. You choose your own destiny. It is not chosen for you. Search inside yourself for your true strength. Find the light inside, and let it be your guide.~ 

And with that last message, the presence of Amanda faded out of the cavern. 

/Find the light inside... what light? All I feel is darkness. There is no light./ Cara thought, stricken. 

~For your sake, and the sake of your children, There must be. Find the light, Cara, do not allow the darkness to win.~ came the voice of Lady Ymela into her mind. 

~Silence, sister. You do not have any power in this cavern.~ spoke Anon angrily. ~Cara, your time has come. Whether you surrender to the darkness willingly, or unwillingly, it makes no difference. But you will surrender. And so will your children. You have seen their future. There is not a force of this world which will stop it. You have lost.~ Anon spoke into Cara's mind. 

Cara numbly stood, watching as Anon walked to the middle of the cavern, and slowly raised her arms above her head. Dark energy began to swirl around her... slowly building in concentration, becoming a large, dark, tornado of negative energy. 

Cara didn't know what to do. She didn't feel there was any light left in her. She mutely watched as the dark energy grew in size, filling most of the cavern, and closing in on her. She couldn't move... 

Cara gasped as the dark energy hit her... choking and burning her, as it began to infuse itself with her. Cara tried to run... tried to get out of the dark cloud, but it was no use. There was nowhere to run. She was trapped. Trapped in a cavern with a heartless witch. 

Cara sank to the ground in despair, closed her eyes, and hung her head down. She didn't want that dark future for her children, but she didn't know how she could fight it. 

Cara's heart was beating in her ears, roaring and thundering... above the roaring, the words which Amanda had spoken echoed over and over in Cara's mind. /You choose your own destiny. It is not chosen for you... Find the light inside, and let it be your guide./ And the words of Lady Ymela, which came after Cara thought there was no light in her. /For your sake, and the sake of your children, There must be. Find the light, Cara, do not allow the darkness to win./ 

/I have no strength or light left. But, for the sake of my children, I must. I cannot allow that dark future to happen. I will not allow it./ Cara thought with resolution. 

With her heart thundering in her ears, and the dark energy swirling around her, Cara slowly got to her feet. With her eyes still closed, she focused all her power and energy inward, searching herself to the furthest most depths of her soul for light. And she found it. The last shred of hope, light, and love... pure emotions, which she felt for her unborn children. 

She focused upon it, blocked out all other emotion except for this ember of light and love. Cara used her powers to fan the ember into a small flame. And the flame of hope and love, began to grow. Like a wildfire, it spread throughout Cara's heart and soul, dispelling grief and hate. The dark energy which had infused itself with Cara and her children began to lose its hold. The dark energy was weakening, and Cara was growing stronger. 

~NO! I will not allow you to win!~ Anon exclaimed angrily, and she attempted to attack Cara's mind in order to slow her down. 

Anon was unprepared for the sudden burst of pure energy which came from Cara; or the blinding light which erupted from Cara's body, dispelling the Dark energy in the cavern. Anon gasped and shuddered as the light energy began to flood into her own body. She could not shut down the mind link. Pain tore at her; pain caused by emotions that were familiar, yet unknown to her. It was killing her. 

In one last, desperate attempt to survive, Anon tore her mask and cloak off and threw herself at Cara. She reached through the hot flames of light which surrounded Cara's body, grabbed onto her and lifted her high into the air... ready to break the girl into a thousand pieces. Blood dripped down Cara's body from the wounds caused by Anon's sharp fur, but the light never dimmed. 

Cara opened her eyes and looked straight into the silver, glowing eyes of Anon. Anon froze, and gasped at what she saw. White light had replaced the red. Courage, hope, and Love, burned brighter than a thousand candles... courage, hope and love, which burned itself straight into Anon's soul. 

"These emotions are familiar to you, Anon. They are the emotions which a mother feels for her children. I feel these emotions for my children, as you felt them for your child. No matter what Sinister did to you, you still feel these emotions. And you do love your son. I can feel it. Find the light inside yourself, Anon. Become what you once were, the guardian of pure emotions. Become free once more." Cara spoke in a calm voice. 

For the first time in her endless life, Anon herself felt like she had been turned into stone. She couldn't look away from those glowing eyes. She put Cara down, and stepped back away from her, but she still could not look away. 

Memories came unbidden into her mind. Of what she'd been. Of the cavern in which both her son and herself had been captured. Of Sinister's lab and the pain and endless agony of everything she loved being torn from her. The endless agony her prison caused her. 

"Find the light, Anon, and become free once more." Cara spoke again, in a soothing, gentle voice. 

Almost unbidden, as if in a trance, Anon began to look within, searching her own soul for light. 

Deep within her heart, Anon found what she was looking for. A glowing ember of love which she still felt for her son. She closed her eyes and concentrated upon that ember of love. Pain flooded through her body, causing her to shake and tremble. But still she continued. She would not let this ember die. 

Bright light began to pour forth from Anon's body, as the ember fanned into a flame, and grew into a wildfire which consumed Anon and all the dark energy which remained in the cavern. A horrible cracking, crackling sound shook the cavern to it's depths, as the prison which had encased Anon for so long, shattered into a billion pieces... and the evil witch known as Anon was no more. She had finally found freedom. 

**Rainfall**

**_~Back in Sinister's Castle~_**

Maggie spoke up, cutting off her sibling's chatter. 

"Shall we put it to a vote? All those in favor of Sammi as our acting leader, say aye or nay so we can get on to more pressing matters." 

"I vote, Aye," Eric the younger said, as he smiled at Sammi. "She'll make a fine leader. I know Amanda would be proud of her." 

Before anyone else could say anything, a blinding flash of light filled the room. Everyone shielded their eyes, and turned towards the source. The light gradually dimmed, and Cara was suddenly there standing in the middle of the room. She had a somewhat dazed expression on her face, and she wove back and forth for a moment before falling to her knees. 

Jamar was by her side in an instant. He wrapped her up in a tight hug, and through their mindlink, he learned what had happened in the cavern, and that Gateway had sent her back shortly after Anon had been freed. 

/Is Anon dead?/ Jamar telepathically asked his wife. 

/No, she isn't dead... she's been returned to her original form. I don't know where she is right now, but I can still feel her presence. She's happy... and she's finally free.../ Cara replied, before succumbing to unconsciousness. 

It was then that Jamar noticed Cara's wounds. 

"Leilee! Come quickly!" he shouted over his shoulder. 

Leilee ran over to Cara and dropped to her knees. She concentrated and used her powers to close Cara's wounds. 

"She'll be okay, all she needs right now is rest." Leilee said. She got up and started to walk away, but she turned back around and said, "And the kids are fine too, pop." then she winked and walked over to Remy who had just come in from another room. 

Jamar just stared. /Kids...?! Pop!?/ he thought, dazed. 

He looked down at his wife. She woke up and smiled at him. 

"/Cara?...." he said. 

Cara just smiled more and nodded. Jamar's eyes got big, and he smiled a rather goofy smile that only soon to be fathers get. 

**Rainfall**

Charles smiled at the scene before him. Everything was beginning to work out for Vision X, and he was happy for them. He knew that the path they had all chosen when they met would be difficult, but they had gotten through as a team. They were the representation of what he had dreamed of. They were also family, and he was proud. 

"Congratulations, Jamar. You and Cara will make excellent parents, and I believe Sammi will make a great leader." he stated. 

"Professor, how did you get here?" questioned Cyclops. 

"The castle was good enough to send me here. I wanted to see if everything was all right." 

"Not everything, Professor." stated Sammi. 

"I know. The castle teleported her body back. She will have a proper service." 

There was an air of sadness in the room, but Charles knew that everything would be all right and that in time everything would heal for the X-men and Vision X. 

In Charles' mind he heard Sammi state, /I am sorry that there will be no wedding./ 

/So am I, but I know that she died fighting for what she believed in. I will always love her, and she will always be in my heart.... She would be happy to know that she won the bet. It would seem you guys notice things faster then the X-Men.) 

Sammi smiled at Xavier and knew that despite what happened, Amanda would always be around in spirit. It was time to say goodbye. 

**A.C.**

Sammi looked around at everyone. She saw Jamar and Cara talking. Jamar looked like he was going to pass out so she sent, ((Careful, Bro. I don't think kids of the "Best at what he does" are allowed to pass out.)) 

Jamar looked up at her and smiled and sent back, (At least it isn't twins.) 

Sammi smiled and started laughing. 

Cara, catching Jamar's message, said, "Huh, Hunny?" 

"Yes, Darlin'?" Jamar asked. 

"They're not twins, But they are triplets." Cara said with a weak smile. "Jamar?" 

Jamar was staring at her and said nothing. Then he passed out. 

Sammi kneeled down to him as Jonas came over to them and asked, "What happened?" 

Sammi looked up at him and said, "Well, it seems like me and Athena aren't the only ones in the multiple birth department." 

"What do you mean?" He asked. 

"Well, Cara is having Triplets." Sammi said, looking at Cara and smiling. Cara smiled back. 

"So you have twins. I have triplets." Cara said, then she looked over to Maggie. 

Sammi looked at Maggie too and said, "You'll probably end up with Quints." 

Maggie got pale. Scott starting laughing. 

Sammi looked at him and asked, "What are you laughing at, Cyke?" 

Scott glared at her and said, "The fact that with all of your kids you have a new team. And half of them are relatives of Logan." Scott turned to Logan and said, "You're family is as bad as mine." 

At that, Logan paled and muttered under his breath, "Just don't let me be a long lost Summer's." 

Sammi, Maggie, and Jonas heard this and they all started laughing. The laughing woke Jamar up, and he asked, "What's so funny?" 

Sammi sent him what Logan had said, and Jamar said, "See. I'm not the only one who sees it." 

**jubilee_79**

Leilee looked up and grinned. "Maybe that warp hole we went through to meet you guys is the reason why. Because, I don't think I'm having just one baby either." 

**Leilee**

Maria laughed with the rest of the group at Remy's startled face. It seemed everyone was having babies. She didn't have someone special in her life yet, but she was the youngest so there was still plenty of time. With her luck, she would probably end up with seven. 

Magneto was watching the gathering somewhat amused. He had worked well with the X-Men and was actually enjoying being in their company. He and Charles had even begun to renew their friendship. All in all, this adventure so to speak had been positive for almost everyone involved, with one big exception. 

"Well, Charles, if this keeps up, you will be guaranteed that your dream will succeed due to the fact that half the world are X-Men." 

Everyone laughed, and even Charles smiled. Magneto could tell his friend was putting up a brave front. He would talk to him later. Help him in any way he could. 

"I hate to be one to bring down everyone's good mood, but how should we deal with Sinister?" asked Magneto. 

**A.C.**

Jamar glanced over at Sammi and Maggie. The others fell silent for a moment. 

**Jamar, what do you think we should do with Sinny?** 

//Yeah, he's caused our family so much grief. He can never atone for what he did to us.// 

***I know what you guys mean. One part of me wants to fry his sorry ass.*** A hand slides to Jamar's shoulder, and he visibly calms. ***Okay, we don't fry him... but I have something just as bad in mind.*** 

**//SPILL IT, BRO'//** 

***I figure what's the worst thing that you can possibly do to an immortal. Life Imprisonment.*** 

//So, what, we like drop him in a black hole or somethin'?// 

///Naw, that'd probably destroy him. How bout a dead zone./// Jonas says winking at Jamar. 

The others watch the exchange and wonder at it's meaning. 

///So, Yoda, do you think you can pull it off? It has been several years and lifetimes since you've done it./// 

***Dragonboy, trust me!*** 

Sammi gives Maggie an "Oh brother" look. 

Magneto stands there waiting. No one had said anything for several minutes. Charles looked nervous because he couldn't read any of the Logan kids now. 

"Magneto, don't worry about Sinny. Everyone, back up... my brother is planning to send Sinny on his merry little way." 

"Jonas, I'm gonna need your help with this one. Last time I did this, there was a lot of energy in the room." Jamar says as energy dances in his hand. 

"Hey, Cable. We're gonna need a very large TK shield on my mark, okay?" Jonas says as he loses himself in meditation. Energy begins swirling like a cyclone around him. Rain, fire, and lightning wrap around the twister. "Now!" 

Jamar looses the energy, ripping a gaping void across the air. The void burned bright with purple fire as jagged teeth line the maw of energy. At it's center stood a black disc, rotating and flipping over like a gyro. 

The bubble holding Sinister begins to be drawn forward by what can only be described as a tongue. The X-Men and members of Vision X turn away as the void devours the fiend with a sickening pop. 

**Chaos**

Leilee eyes widened as she turned back around. "Kewl..." she whispered, and then snuggled back into Remy's arms, rubbing her stomach slightly. Maybe now the world would be safe for their children. How ever many they may have. 

Suddenly, she felt a little niggle in the back of her head as Cara announced her psychic presence. 

::Just thought I'd let you know. It's twins.:: 

Leilee grinned and answered, ::So, we have Amanda Maria Nicole, and Cara Samantha Charlotte. Unless you don't want.....:: 

Cara let out the equivalent of a telepathic squeal. ::I want! I DEFINITELY WANT!:: 

Leilee grinned as Cara left, and pulled Remy's head down slightly to whisper in his ear what Cara had told her. Remy's face whitened, and he pulled her into a nearby room. 

Leilee looked at him, slightly confused. Remy's face wasn't white anymore. It was red. And he looked pissed. In a quiet, slightly shaky voice, he said, "You knew you were pregnant when you got involved in the fight?" 

Leilee gazed up at him. "Remy, I've been sick for the past 3 months, since the first night you got here. I kinda had to know." 

Remy grabbed her arm, his voice increasing in volume. "YOU KNEW?!" 

Leilee pulled her arm back, but Remy tightened his grip. "Remy, you're hurting me!" 

Remy's eyes flashed in anger. "Are you stupid? Or just crazy?! You're fighting when you're pregnant! Did you think about the baby? Did you think at all?" 

Leilee's face tightened. "Ex-SCUSE ME?!" She stepped up to him. "Oh yes. I asked to be knocked out. And I asked to be kidnapped. And I SOOOO asked to be tied down to the bed and nearly raped. But what I want to know is, where were you? Were you even thinking about me? Or were you cozying up to Rogue instead...." 

Remy's hand flashed out and slapped her across the face. 

Leilee gasped and grabbed her face. Remy's eyes widened and he stared at his hand for a second before turning his head to look at her. Leilee's eyes had filled with tears, and a red mark was starting to spread across her cheek. 

"Chere....I'm sorry....I..." 

Leilee's tear-filled eyes just stared up at him. "You bastard." With that said, her leg flashed forward, and she kicked him in the groin, cracking the body armor. 

As he sank to the ground, Leilee ran out of the room and over to Jamar. 

Stopping in front of him, she looked up and whispered, "Jamar, can you teleport me home please, I gotta get out of here. Now." 

Jamar looked like he was about to say something, but then he noticed the red mark on her face. "Did he hit you?" 

Leilee just stared at him. Jamar's face got mad and he started to go towards the room, but she grabbed his arm. "Jamar. Please?" 

He watched her face for a moment and then nodded. He whispered to Cara what happened, took Leilee's hand, and teleported her home. 

**Leilee**

Cara's face was white. Jamar had told her what happened between Leilee and Gambit, but she already knew. She'd felt the pain coming from the other room as strongly as if she, herself, had been slapped. As she watched her husband and friend disappear in a swirl of purple flame, only one thought stood out in her mind. 

/How could he? How could he hit her?/ Cara thought with disbelief. 

A flare of white fire momentarily flashed in her eyes, then was replaced by the familiar red glow. Cara stood up and advanced toward the room Gambit was in. Eric widened his eyes as he watched his sister's movements. 

/Cara...what are you going to do?/ he asked her on their twin link. 

/Don't worry, brother. I'm going to talk to him, not fry him. Not much, anyway.../ she replied, as she reached the entrance of the room, and went in. 

Eric looked around at the others in the room. He decided it was time for a change of subject. 

"Hey, Professor. If Amanda's dead, does that mean we need to start planning a memorial service for her?" he asked. 

A flash of pain crossed Xavier's face and he closed his eyes. Magneto stared in wide-eyed disbelief at his son. Eric cringed, and uttered the one word he thought he would never use. "eep!" he said, with one eye closed. 

Sammi knelt down by Eric and said, "Well, that's putting it gently. You certainly have a way with words." 

She looked over at her father and sister, and simply shook her head. Eric was an okay kind of guy, but he sure had a big mouth. Magneto walked over to where his son sat, pulled him up by the arm and hustled him into a nearby room. 

Charles watched them leave, then turned his attention towards the rest of the rooms inhabitants. 

"Although this wasn't the way I had planned to broach the subject, Eric was right. We do need to talk about a memorial service for Amanda." Charles said in a tired voice. 

**Rainfall**

Scott could see that his mentor was tired and suffering too much to stay in this place for much longer. He didn't understand the relationship the Professor had with Amanda, but he knew it was special. He remembered when he lost Jean, and the pain he had felt. Jean, sensing these feelings, squeezed his hand. 

"I think we all need to get out of here." stated Scott. 

At that moment, everyone in the area was teleport back to the castle. Cara and Remy were missing and so was Magneto and his son. Scott just shrugged his shoulders and figured that they were appear when the time was right. He was tired of trying to explain everything. 

Xavier smiled slightly at Scott. He too had long given up the idea of trying to figure things out. He only hoped that Cara would help Remy while Jamar handled Leilee. They had all come too far, and dealt with too much to lose it now. 

**A.C.**


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Twenty-Two**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Sammi looked around and noticed the walls, and then the Viewer on the one side. She walked over to it and placed her hand on the panel next to it. The panel started to glow under her touch, and the screen started to glow as well. Maggie, Jonas and Logan upon seeing this walked over to her. 

"What are you doing, Darlin'?" Logan asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. 

Sammi looked into the screen and said, "Checking on my family." Jonas knew what she meant, but he couldn't figure out how she was able to do it. 

"Sammi, Did Zeus give you something before you left?" He asked as he remembered the look on Zeus's face as he watched over her after the mental blast. 

Sammi nodded and said, "Uh, huh. He brought me partly home." 

As the viewer slowly formed a picture, Logan asked, "What do you mean? What did he do to you?" 

"Its nothing bad, dad. He just gave me part of my birth rite." Sammi said as the picture cleared to reveal the twins playing with Zeus and Thor. "There are your grandkids, dad." 

Logan looked at the picture and froze. He could see the twins, and could tell right away that they were Jonas and Sammi's. The girl looked like Sammi and the boy looked like Jonas. 

Upon hearing the magic word of GrandKids, Rogue and Warren came running over to them. Rogue stood next to Logan and started to cry a little. 

"My son, had babies." She said through tears. 

Sammi stepped back from the screen and mentally kept the picture up for them. She moved next to Rogue and Jonas moved next to Logan. 

"The girl's name is Josephine Rogue." Sammi said while watching the screen. 

"And the boy is Alexander Logan." Jonas said looking at the screen also. He turned his head to Sammi and smiled as he found that she was looking at him. 

Sammi moved over to Maggie and whispered in her ear, "What do you think, Auntie Mags?" 

Maggie smiled as she moved closer to the screen. 

Warren placed a hand on Sammi's shoulder. She turned and saw the relief in his eyes, she smiled and hugged him. "I'm glad to be back too, Wings." 

"Can you stop doing that? I had enough of it from Jean when we were younger." He said as he hugged her back. 

"No prob." She said as she pulled back and looked into his eyes, "See, I knew you would find love." 

Warren looked at her and hugged her again and said, "Thank you." 

"You're welcome." She said. 

"How did you know?" He asked. 

She looked up to him and said, "Warren, you are almost as bad as Jonas." And she turned and walked over to the Professor, but met Jubilee and Tina first. 

Sammi hugged Jubilee and said, "I'm sorry, Sis. I'm so sorry." 

Jubilee hugged her back and said, "I know it wasn't you. It's ok." 

Sammi smiled and looked up at Tina and said, "I invited you to my wedding, and then you shot my husband, and now you're putting the moves on my father. I really should be mad at you." She continued to smile as Tina's jaw dropped. Sammi let Jubilee go as she said, "Let him figure it out for himself." 

Jubilee smiled and said, "But that could take years." 

"Trust me, If he doesn't realize it by the time we all go home, I'll knock some sense into him." Sammi said with a wink. She walked over to Tina and hugged her. 

"I see I'm not the only one who found my family."Sammi said. 

"Yeah. And just think. If me and your father get together, I'll be your Step-Mother." Tina whispered in her ear. 

Sammi laughed and let her out of the hug and said, "Just remember, I don't do windows." 

Tina laughed and nodded as she caught Sammi message about the Professor. Sammi walked over to the Professor who was sitting next to Amanda's body. 

~Professor? Maybe I can help you like a little Fairy helped me? If you want to talk?~ Sammi sent to him as she was behind him. She looked up to Amanda's body and a few tears fell down her face. 

**Jubilee_79**

Charles smiled at the new leader of Vision X. She was so sad, but determined to help. Amanda had made a comment that this was the hardest part of the job. He agreed. He felt that Sammi was handling herself well. She hadn't blown anything up yet. 

"Did I ever tell you what happened with Amanda after Jonas's funeral?" asked Charles. 

"NO. The truth is that when she wrote that scene on the story board, she never mentioned what happened after you witnessed her little emotional outburst." 

"She did have a slight temper." he smiles at the statement. 

"You don't say," she laughs, "What happened?" 

"She cried. She broke down in tears and cried in my arms. She couldn't handle everything. She felt like the walls were closing in on her, but she knew she had to be strong for everyone else." 

"She never did open completely up to us." Sammi stated off hand. 

"I don't think she knew how. Your friendship meant a lot to her, and she felt this need to protect you. I had to remind her that you could all take care of yourselves. She laughed and told me to take my own advice. Then she kissed me and told me how much she loved me." 

Sammi could feel the emotions coming up in him. She wished there was something to say, but she knew from her own experience that sometimes words are not enough. 

**A.C.**

Sammi did the first thing that came into her head. She leaned down and hugged the professor. 

~I know that she is fine. She's just up there hanging around waiting for you. And just think, you'll probably get to do this all over again in the next life.~ Sammi told him mentally as she continued to hug him. 

~I know. I just wish it wasn't so soon.~ He told her. 

~I know exactly how you feel.~ Sammi said, ~I just wish I could have gotten to know her better.~ 

**Jubilee_79**

Victor and Ryan were talking, when he looked up and saw Logan and the others looking at the view screen. 

"What's going on over there?" Ryan asked. 

"Logan is getting to see his grand kids." Victor said, looking at Logan and still not fully believing that he is his brother. 

Ryan grins manically at Victor " You know, babe, this means you're a grand-uncle. You're getting on in years, old man." 

Victor gives Ryan a look that could kill. "Who you calling old?" 

Victor gets up and walks over to the view screen. 

He stepped up behind Logan and looked at the two kids on the screen. He looked up and saw the way that the boy was about to attack and said, "He looks just like his Grand Pa." He slapped Logan on the back and said, "What do you think about that, Old man?" 

"So, brothers?" Victor said looking at Logan. 

"Looks that way." Logan said back. Neither of the men knew what to say to each other. They had been enemies for so long it was alien to them to be anything else. Friends were hard enough for the two men, now they had to deal with brothers. 

"Well, got any advice for your little brother, runt?" Victor said, smiling at Logan with a big toothy grin. 

"Who said you were younger?" Logan said looking at Victor. " Maybe I'm the younger one?" 

Victor looked at him and said, "True, you are the shorter one." 

Victor smiled at him, and Logan for some reason knew that he was just joking. It wasn't like all of the other times, when he had insulted him by saying that. 

"So, got any Brotherly advice to share, Old one?" Logan said jokingly back to him. 

"You need to ask Tina out. Being Ryan's sister, I think she is the only woman in the either world that can stand our temperaments. At least one that's not related to us." Victor grinned at the shocked look on Logan's face. 

"Don't deny you got the hot's for her, runt. I can smell it." 

"Well, then the same goes for you." Logan said smiling evilly at Victor. "You better ask Ryan to marry you, cause she's the only one who has ever been able to handle you and your mood swings." 

Victor suddenly got very serious. "I know I need to do it, before I lose her. I just don't know how to ask. Can you believe I'm actually scared she's going to say no." 

Logan saw the fear in his eyes and at that moment he saw how much Victor really loved Ryan, So he said, "I know she loves you, and I know you love her. If she would ever say no to you asking her to marry you, then she would have left you along time ago. But she's still here, with you so that's something she wants to do. Do you really think that she wouldn't any other way? You know as well as I do, NO ONE forces Ryan to do anything." 

Logan slapped Victor lightly on the arm and said, "Just follow your heart. Like you did when you met her." 

"You know I was thinking that same thing, But what if she won't go out with me. I've felt like this in years." Logan said looking at Victor. 

Victor smiled at Logan and thought back to how nervous and silly he was when he first realized he loved Ryan. He was scared out of his mind. Everything she did made him love her and hate her at the same time. It was such a contradiction but it was also so addicting. Victor knew exactly how Logan was feeling. He just didn't know how to help him with it. 

"With Ryan, I just figured if she rejected me, I would kill her. I know you wouldn't do that with Tina, so I don't know what to say. I can tell you that Ryan and her have talked about you. I know she likes you… or at least your butt." 

"My butt?" Logan asked as he unconsciously turned his head and glanced at his butt. Victor started laughing. 

"Look, Just ask her. I've seen the way she looks at you. She'll say yes." Victor said when he received a glare for Logan. 

Logan looked at him and said, "Take your own advice." 

**Jubilee_79 & Le Fae**

**_~Leilee's Apartment~_**

Leilee and Jamar landed in the middle of her darkened living room. Leilee landed on the couch. Jamar landed on the floor. 

"Ow..." 

"Sorry." Leilee offered him a hand. "C'mon. I'll make some tea. Want a cup?" 

Jamar nodded quietly and followed her into the surprisingly large kitchen. As she filled the teapot with fresh water, he sat down at the table and watched her. She scurried around nervously, collecting necessary items, her hands trembling as she grabbed sugar, lemons and cookies. 

Placing them on the table, she offered some of the cookies to Jamar. "Want some?" 

He shook his head. "No thanks. I'm not hungry." 

Leilee nodded and picked up a cookie, nibbling on it. 

Jamar stared at her as she jumped when the teapot whistled. 

As she took off the teapot, Jamar asked, "Wanna talk about it." 

She turned to look at him. "I guess. Where do you want me to start?" 

**Leilee**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Sammi pulled out of the Professor's arms. He read her thoughts and knew what she was thinking. 

~Go. Your friends need you now.~ He told her. 

~But you're my friend too. And..~ She started, but was cut off. 

~Leilee needs you more. And if you get the chance, go to Remy too. You never gave up on him, I know your feelings about all of the X-Men along with Vision X. You care so deeply for them all, just like Amanda. That is why you are a great leader, beyond everything you and Amanda always put your friends first. Now go, they need you.~ He finished with a weak smile. 

Sammi stood up and nodded. She walked over to Jonas and kissed him deeply and told him through the mind link, //I have to check on them. Hold down the fort, ok?// 

//Always, my love. Hurry back if you can.// He told her. 

She nodded again. She placed her palms together and quietly said, "Power of Zeus, take me where I need to be." And in a flash she was gone. 

**_~Leilee's Kitchen~_**

Jamar and Leilee were talking, when suddenly a bright flash appeared next to the table. 

When the light disappeared, they saw Sammi standing there. Jamar and Leilee's jaws dropped and Sammi smiled as she said, "What, you think Jamar's the only one with tricks up his sleeves?" 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

The voices watched the preceeding events with interest. 

~Everything is preceeding as plan.~ stated the first voice. 

/They have faced their challenges and succeeded./ stated the third. 

*All that was written is coming to pass.* stated the second. 

~Hard decisions must be made, ending comes where beginnings fade.~ stated the first. 

*The truth of what has will come, part now must be done.* stated the second. 

/Will they handle the last as fast as the first?/ asked the third. 

~The final test will be upon them soon.~ stated first. 

*The reasons for being will soon be known.* stated the second. 

//Answers will be given, and truth will be told.// stated the three. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Maria sat down on a bench, reviewing what had happened in the last couple of weeks. She had faced unbelievable terror and lost a close friend. She had never pictured her life would turn out like that. 

Ryan saw her sitting on the bench. She knew that Maria was having a hard time with the death of her friend. Maria was a warm caring person, and the loss was hard for her. 

"Are you okay, kiddo?" asked Ryan. 

"Yeah, I guess, but it's a lot to take in." 

"Yeah, I know." 

"They tell you that life is hard, but I wish they gave you more details in high school." replied Maria with a bitter smile. 

"We did win this. That's gotta count for something." 

"It does, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with." 

**A.C.**

**_~Leilee's Apartment~_**

Standing in Leilee's kitchen, Sammi smiled at their shocked expressions. As Jamar's mouth opened to say something, Sammi quickly said, "Hang on to that thought for a sec. I have to try something else." Sammi concentrated and picked up Cara and Remy's thought patterens on the psychic plane. She followed them until she found out where they were, and concentrated some more. 

**_~Sinister's Castle~_**

Remy stood leaning against a wall with his head down. Cara had just come around the corner and found him when a huge bright light appeared between them. As the light faded, they both turned to find Sammi standing in front of them. 

Sammi looked at Cara, and then at Remy and said, "It worked. Cara, remind me to give my next child the middle name of Zeus." 

Cara stood there staring at Sammi with her jaw hanging open. "How did you ...?" She asked when she found her voice. 

"Well, This is Definitely a kinda magic." Sammi answered with a huge smile. 

**_~Leilee's Kitchen~_**

Sammi opened her eyes and smiled. "OK, That's covered. What were you going to say, bro?" 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Charles sat in a quiet room of the castle contemplating his next move. He was always careful not to let the darkness get to him. He had lost countless friends and loved ones before, and had learned the hard way that wallowing in your own grief was a dangerous occupation. 

The task was proving harder than he anticipated though if he was truthful to himself; he wasn't surprised. He used his power to carefully watch what was happening with Gambit, but he was not going to interfere. It was their problem that they need to resolve themselves if they had any hope of surviving. 

/Your thoughts are troubling, Xavier./ stated Thanagar. 

/I did not expect to hear you again./ stated a surprised Xavier. 

/We did not expect to be here either, sir, but it seems fate had other ideas.) stated Azmaru. 

/Fate, or Amanda?/ questioned Xavier who began to put some pieces together. 

/It could have been either one./ stated Thanagar, who knew in his heart what was responsible. 

/I think she wanted to ensure that I don't do anything foolish. I think she knew in her heart that it would come to this. I just wish she had let us help./ stated Xavier. 

/You were needed elsewhere, and some battles must be fought alone./ stated Thanagar. 

Xavier was left to ponder this fact and what was to come. He had a feeling that things were not over just yet. 

**A.C.**

**_~Leilee's Kitchen~_**

"You sure are full of surprises today, sis. So, when is Mags showing up?" 

"I don't think she's comin', bro." 

"I take it Remy is still in one piece. The vibe I got from Cara earlier didn't seem pleasant, but it's better now. Don't worry, Leilee, nobody'll hurt Gambit 'til you want him hurt." 

"Uh..bro, let me handle this, okay. Don't you have something that you want to talk over with Dad and the Professor? It should be able to take Xavier's mind off of things for a while." 

"Yeah. Are you sure you don't need me though." He looks from Sammi to Leilee and bows before disappearing a swirl of purple fire. 

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Elsewhere, the Professor sits pondering the future as a hiss of air alerts him to a presence. 

"Sir, may I speak with you?" 

"Yes, Jamar, go ahead." 

"After our powers resurfaced, the buzz of minds around me were really alien to me until I started recalling the feel of the minds on Marvel Earth. Well, what I'm trying to say is that I believe that there are a number of mutants living on Earth Alpha." 

"That's quite remarkable." 

"Yes, but it could potentially be very dangerous. I know what happened in your Universe when mutants emerged into the mainstream. It will happen here also. With your permission, I would like to establish a version of the Xavier Institute here on Alpha." 

"I have no objections to it, son. Why did you feel that you needed to ask me?" 

"I would like to honor Amanda by dedicating the school to her." 

Xavier becomes speechless at this. Jamar begins to broadcast images of what he proposes. Images of kids of all ages and walks of life moving about the campus can be seen, then the image turns to the front gate and in brass a plaque reads, "Amanda Cross Institute for Higher Learning--a subsidiary of the Xavier Institute". Tears well up in his eyes. 

Through the tears and ragged breath, Xavier asks, "Where do you propose to build this school?" 

"Either Canada or Australia. These places hold great memories for my family. I will talk to you and my father later about it when Sammi returns." 

**Chaos**

**_~Leilee's Apartment~_**

Sammi looked at Leilee and smiled and said, "Zeus gave me a bigger bag of tricks than my bro here." Sammi walked over to Leilee and gave her a hug. "I didn't get the chance to do that before, and to say, Thanks." Sammi pulled out of the hug and told her, "also, there are a few people that want to talk to you." Sammi closed her eyes again and concentrated, and in a flash they were back on Asgard. 

Leilee looked around confused, "What are we doing here, again?" She looked over to Sammi. 

Sammi pointed towards the waiting Gods and Godesses. "They wanted to talk to you." Sammi said as she turned and was attacked by the twins. "Come on, you two. Auntie Leilee needs to visit with Zeus and a few of his kids." 

Sammi grabbed Joey and Alex's hands and they walked over to the park that had been set up for them. 

Leilee's jaw dropped open as Alex took her hand. "What do you mean they want to see me? Why? And why are we in Asgard? Why not Olympus?" she asked as she scooped up Alex and placed him on her hip as she walked. 

Sammi grinned at her. "It's summer in Greece. Which means it's about 110 degrees, Fahrenheit there. All the gods vacation in Asgard for the summer. And the Asgardians go to Greece in the winter." 

Leilee giggled as she set Alex down. "That's kewl." 

Sammi grabbed Leilee's arm with her free hand and dragged her into a large room full of light, and people. There were 12 people seated on golden thrones, and one woman was seated by a fire in the middle of the room. Sammi dragged her in front of the center thrones and knelt, yanking Leilee down as well. 

"I brought her as you requested, Zeus." 

Zeus started laughing at her formalness. "How many times have I told you not to do that, my dear? It seems like I repeat myself through all of your lives." Zeus walked down to the two women and lifted them up into a hug and said so that only they could hear, "My family never has to bow before me, and you two are like daughters to me." And with that, he kissed both of them on their foreheads and set them standing back on the ground. 

Leilee looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean, like a daughter to you? I've only just met you." 

Zeus gave out a shout of laughter. "My child, you have met me before. In past lives." 

Leilee's eyes widened so much, she looked like an anime character, much to Sammi and Zeus' amusement. "Past lives?" 

**Jubilee_79 & Leilee**

**_~Sinister's Castle~_**

Cara was surprised when Sammi had appeared out of nowhere. 

"How did you get here?" she asked. 

"Teleportation is one of my gifts." Sammi explained, and she smiled. 

"How is Leilee?" Cara asked. 

Sammi watched Gambit for a moment before answering. 

"She'll be alright... my twin is keeping her company." She replied. She was silent for a moment, then turned toward Gambit. "Gambit, if you need to talk..." she started to say, but became silent after seeing the impassive look on Gambit's face. 

Gambit morosely shook his head, then turned and walked to a corner of the room. Cara looked at Sammi, and then back at Gambit. She rubbed her forehead with one hand and sighed. 

"What a day..." she said to Sammi. "I wonder what else will happen?" 

Just then, a bright flash of light filled the room. Cara, Sammi and Gambit threw up their arms in front of their faces to shield their eyes. The light receded, revealing Magneto and Eric who now stood in the middle of the room. 

"Hey, sis, did ya miss me?" Eric asked, grinning his lopsided grin at Cara. 

"How did you get here?" Cara asked as her brother walked over to her. 

"Gateway teleported us here, as a thank you." Magneto answered as he walked over to meet the group. 

"Man, Cara... this place totally reminds me of Labyrinth." Eric said. "As soon as dad and I set foot through that doorway, the door disappeared, and we found ourselves clear on the other side of the castle. We wandered up and down the corridors, and everything kept changing." Then he grinned. "I kept half-expecting to bump into Hoggle at any moment." he laughed. 

Cara smiled. It was nice to see her twin in a good mood. She glanced over at Gambit and sighed. 

/I really hope we can get all of this worked out./ she thought, then she turned to Sammi. 

"Sammi, now that we're all here, do you think you can teleport us back to the other castle? We need to get everyone there so we can have the memorial service for Amanda." Cara asked. 

**Rainfall**


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Twenty-Three**

~Somewhere and Nowhere~ 

She smiled at them. She was so glad that they were safe. They were her family, and the greatest joy in her life. She wished that she could ease their pain, but some things were beyond her control. 

She knew that Jamar would make a great head master. He would be firm, yet allow the kids to enjoy their lives as well. He would also make a wonderful father. He would also be paid in spades for the trouble he caused through his own children. They would be a handful. 

She could see the future now, and it was so promising for all of them but one. She knew he would not let go. She wanted to tell him to move on, but she no longer had a voice to reach him. She loved him so much, yet there was nothing she could do. It was hard to believe love would not win in their case, but fate seemed to have other plans. 

She wondered what was next for her. She had not been told and she did not know. She was lost in this world of mist and time. She did not know what the fates had in mind for her. She sat waiting in the mist, tears flowing from sightless eyes. 

**A.C.**

**_~The Crystal Castle~_**

Charles listened to the noises and realized that all of the group were back except Leilee. He knew that she was safe. He relied more on his feelings lately then his powers, since they never worked when he needed them. 

/Penny for your thoughts?/ asked Sammi 

/I always thought that it was a rather silly question for a telepath to ask. I was wondering where Leilee was?/ he replied. 

/She's getting some advice from a very wise man, sort of.. replied Sammi with a mischievous glint. 

/I'm beginning to see the family resemblance./ 

/You know ya love us. Dad's family is turning out to be more interesting than Scott's.... Are you ready for this? / 

/I believe so. I have a feeling Amanda would prefer that either you or Cara spoke./ 

/Do you want to say anything?/ 

/I don't know./ 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Cara stood gazing out of one the windows of the Dream Realm's Crystal Castle. Professor Xavier had asked her and Sammi both to speak at the memorial service for Amanda, but Cara was having difficulty putting her thoughts and feelings into words. She didn't feel she could do justice to Amanda's memory. 

Jamar came up to stand next to his wife, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Cara turned and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. 

"Jamar, I just don't know what to say at the memorial." Cara looked up at her husband, "Words fail me. Nothing I think of can possibly do Amanda justice..." 

Cara was interrupted by a gentle kiss from her husband. Jamar pulled back a little, and caressed her face. 

"You're not running for office, hon... anything you say at the memorial will be fine, as long as it is from the heart. You'll be fine." he soothed. 

Cara smiled at that. Running for office indeed. She and Jamar began walking to the courtyard, where the service was to be held. A sudden flash of blinding light lit up the hall where Cara and Jamar were. When they opened their eyes again, Leilee and Sammi were standing in front of them. 

"Leilee! Where have you been?" Cara asked as she hugged Leilee. 

Leilee and Sammi looked at each other and grinned. 

"We'll tell you later, after the memorial." Sammi replied, "But right now I need to go rebond with my other self. I'll meet up with you in the courtyard." she finished, and with a snap of her fingers and another flash of light, she was gone. 

Cara, Jamar and Leilee resumed walking to the courtyard. Leilee stopped, a frown on her face. Cara wrapped one arm around Leilee's shoulders, and asked, "Are you alright?" 

Leilee nodded, then shook her head and sighed. 

"Physically I'm alright... but..." she paused, and brushed her hair out of her face. "Look, there's something I've gotta do... I'll meet up with you later at the memorial, alright?" 

Cara nodded, though she was somewhat confused. Leilee gave her a hug, then teleported away. Cara walked over to Jamar, and walked with him to the courtyard. 

**Rainfall**

**_~Somewhere and Nowhere~_**

"Why did this all happen? Under all circumstances, we should have never met." Amanda asked the void she was in. 

"Some things are destined to happen; there is no reason for them. Religion and Faith do not always give answers." a voice replied. 

"Am I dead?" She asked. 

"That depends on you and them. You are the authors of your own destiny." 

"Was this some sort of test? Was it for us? Was it for the X-Men?" 

"You all know the answers to the questions you have." 

"Will I be with them soon?" 

"You are the author of your destiny. Write the ending you want." the voice answered. 

Amanda was left to ponder the answers and the questions in silence. 

**A.C.**

**_~Marvel Universe--Xavier Estate~_**

A rift opens onto the grounds of the Xavier Estate. A troop of mutants exit as the sky begins to cry. The darkness is fitting even if Storm's pain hadn't affected it. 

They all headed towards a spot nestled in the arch of several trees near the cliff. Several boulders were arrayed in different spots. Cara had suggested this spot because it held some emotional attachment for Amanda. The idea for what was about to take place was hers to. 

"Jamar and Jonas...Athena and Hope if you would, please begin." 

Flames began to encircle the rocks. They wove back and forth creating patterns, the steam rising from the rain meeting unquenchable fire. As the flames die, a structure resembling a gazebo stands before them. There's an empty section left at four key points. Jonas raises his hand commanding the earth. With that, Sand begins to swirl around the structure before being flash-burnt into glass. Within the glass are images of nature made from the essence of life. 

With a wave, Storm commands the sky to clear. Hope bows her head, concentrating as ivy and flowers surround the memorial. Light hitting the glass sends rainbow light everywhere. 

Jamar nods for Cara to begin. She walks into the midst of friends and family...all are family to her. She takes in everything, feeling their sorrow, letting it filter through her... letting the day forever be etched in her memory. 

**Chaos**

**_~The Void~_**

Amanda pondered what she had been told. Did the voice mean something in the cryptic message? Was there something she was supposed to remember? 

She was the author of her own fate. Did this mean she had the power to change it? Could she rewrite what had happened to her? She wasn't ready to die. She had just begun to enjoy life. It was too soon for it all to end. 

For the first time in her life, she had friends who cared for her and someone who loved her. She couldn't let it all end. The images were flashing through her head of the last few years. She remembered the costume party, the water fight, the weddings, the get-togethers, her proposal. She wasn't ready for it to end. 

/I don't want to die. I want to live/ She thought, /Please, I need help. Cara, Sammi, Jonas, Jamar, Charles, I need your help./ 

**A.C.**

Amanda listens as she watches the scenes speed up and multiply. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Jamar becomes lost in his thoughts, remembering a time when his mind was not whole. 

((  
JAMAR: There are too many minds..too much information. I can't deal with it. It's like reality is swallowing me whole. 

AMANDA: Jamar, you're the one in control. Your mind is another reality, and 'reality is what we make it'.  
)) 

"...REALITY IS WHAT WE MAKE IT!" 

The voice continues, then dissipates like mist. 

**Chaos**

**_~Amanda's Memorial~_**

Cara gazed around her at the people who had come to mean so much to her. She thought of all they had been through together. Cara took a deep breath, and began to speak. 

"I'd like to share a poem, written by James Whitcomb Riley. 

"I cannot say, and I will not say  
That she is dead. She is just away.  
With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand,  
She has wandered into an unknown land  
And left us dreaming how very fair  
It needs must be, since she lingers there.  
And you--oh, you, who the wildest yearn  
For an old-time step, and the glad return,  
Think of her faring on, as dear  
In the love of There as the love of Here.  
Think of her still as the same. I say,  
She is not dead--she is just away." 

Cara took a shaky breath, and continued. 

"We have all been through so much together; joy and gladness, pain and sorrow... We all shared grief in the deaths of our loved ones, and we rejoiced in their fond returns." 

"In every struggle, we faced insurmountable odds... obstacles which we couldn't have overcome alone, we overcame together. And though the odds were against us in every turn, we all miraculously managed to survive... all that is, except for one." 

"Amanda Cross was more than a leader. She was a friend, a sister, to all of us. We were her family... and she was ours. There was a time in my life when I doubted that I could make it." Cara said, as she remembered her faceoff with Anon. "Amanda knew of my pain, my struggles, and she was there to help me when the cards were down." 

Cara's gulped, and looked around her. Then she said in a voice which threatened to break, "I can't help but feel that I failed her... I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most..." Cara's voice finally broke, as large tears spilled out of her eyes. 

~My child, you and the others can be there for her now...~ spoke a familiar silvery voice from out of the gloom. 

**Rainfall**

Sammi listened to Cara's poem quietly. She knew that she had to speak next, but for some reason her mind kept telling her that she had to help someone. In fact, she felt like someone was calling to her asking for help. The feeling was intensifying every second. 

Charles was trying to focus on what was being said, but for some reason his mind was being drawn away. He could almost feel another presence calling to him, but the voice was so soft, it was like the wind. 

**A.C.**

Cara swiped at the tears on her face, as she wondered what the voice had meant. How could they be there for Amanda, when she was already gone? she wondered. 

Cara looked around her. Jamar, Sammi and Xavier all seemed distracted, and many of the other guests were unsettled as well... each seemed as though they were straining to hear some far off sound. Cara strained her own ears, yet heard nothing. 

~Listen not with your ears, my child, but with your heart...~ came the silvery voice once again into Cara's mind. 

Listen with my heart, not with my ears... okay, I'll give it a shot, thought Cara. 

Cara closed her eyes, and shut out the physical world around her. She concentrated until she could hear her own heartbeat, its steady rythm blocking out all other sound. With her hearing and sight thus blocked, all Cara was now aware of were the emotions swirling around her. 

She felt them all; the agony and sadness of losing a loved one, the bitterness of those who felt they could have done more. Cara sorted through them all, filtering through the emotions until she found one different than the others... one which seemed to come from far away. 

She reached outward with her empathic senses, concentrating all her powers on that one emotion... straining to hear and understand. 

As silent and soft as a breeze, Cara heard someone calling, reaching out to them all. 

~I don't want to die. I want to live! Please, I need help. Cara, Sammi, Jonas, Jamar, Charles, I need your help.~ 

"Amanda!" Cara gasped. 

**Rainfall**

**_~The Void~_**

Amanda was beginning to feel discouraged. She didn't know if she was reaching her friends or not. She knew she had to get to them. She needed their help, but she didn't know how to reach them. 

/Amanda!/ gasped Cara. 

~Cara, Can you hear me? I need your help. I'm not dead yet.~ 

Amanda tried to say more, but the mist around her had seemed to grow denser. She couldn't sense her friends anymore. Amanda knew that everything depended on them now. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

/Cara, Can you hear me? I need your help. I'm not dead yet./ echoed Amanda's voice in Cara's mind. 

Cara's eyes flung open, and her breath came in short gasps. She could feel Amanda being pulled further away. Waves of emotion crashed against Cara's senses; feelings of desperation and loneliness assaulted her on all sides, striking her to the core. 

"NO!!! AMANDA!" Cara cried out. "Amanda, don't go!" 

Cara grabbed her head with both hands, weaving slightly from side to side before crumpling to the ground, unconscious. 

"Cara!" Jamar exclaimed, as he raced to the side of his wife. 

Startled murmurings and sounds of confusion arose from the crowd, as various X-Types pressed forward to see what was wrong with Cara. 

"Stand back, people... give her some air," ordered Eric, as he moved to his sister's side. 

Jamar knelt on the ground, and scooped Cara up in his arms. Cara's face was deathly pale, and beads of perspiration dotted her forehead. 

"Come on, luv, wake up... open those big, beautiful red eyes of yours... you don't want to worry me and all these wonderful people now, do you?" Jamar urged, as he softly brushed the hair out of Cara's face. 

Cara let out a small moan. Her eyes fluttered briefly, before opening and focusing on the worried eyes of Jamar. She smiled tiredly and gently touched his cheek. 

"I'm alright, hon..." she said, then looked around at the worried crowd. "Just help me stand up, okay?" she asked. 

Jamar did as she asked, and pulled her to her feet. Cara wavered slightly; but quickly caught her balance, and turned toward Xavier. 

Xavier stared at Cara, a look of pain-filled hope written on his face. He'd heard what Cara said... he'd heard her yell out for Amanda not to go. The occurrence shocked him... for during the memorial service, Xavier had felt Amanda's presence. 

But it had been so brief, so soft like the wind, that Xavier wasn't sure he'd really felt it. Now it seemed as though he wasn't the only one to have sensed her presence... which meant there was the possibility that what he'd felt was real... that Amanda really was calling out to him. Could it be? Was it possible? That his beloved was still... Alive?!? 

"Cara, what happened?" Xavier asked, trying gain control of his emotions. 

Cara took shaky breath, then said, "It's Amanda... I heard her calling to me, to all of us. She's not dead, Professor... she's alive, and needs our help!" 

**Rainfall**

Sammi had heard the voice and knew it was Amanda; when the others rushed to Cara's side, Sammi stayed where she was. She was deep in meditation, trying to find the answers that all of them were searching for, but hitting a wall, so to speak. 

//Zeus, help, me find my friend. I know she needs my help, I have to find her. Help me, please.// Sammi whispered to herself as she went deeper into her mediation. 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~The Void~_**

The mist cleared again, and Amanda found herself in her bedroom. The strange thing was that it wasn't the one in her apartment or her mansion. It was the one she had lived in when she first met the X-Men. As she looked at the familiar surroundings, she spotted her younger self at the computer, typing. Slowly she approached the figure and saw what she was typing. It was a story called Reality Bites. 

~Do you remember typing this story?~ asked a voice. 

/Yes, I didn't think anyone would join in. I thought the idea was a little farfetched./ 

~But people did.~ 

/Yes. Sammi, Cara, Jamar, Jonas, Leilee, Maria, Ryan, And Teb./ 

~The question now remains which came first: the story, or the adventure?~ 

/I don't understand. I started the story because I had flashbacks from our adventure...Didn't I?/ 

~Perhaps, or maybe this another dream, A sequel, if you will. What you have experienced is the sequel to your story.~ 

/You mean none of this may be real. Anon, Nightmare, and The X-men are real. Charles.../ 

~This is all a story in your head.~ 

/No, I don't believe you./ 

~You didn't believe me before. You went back to your dream.~ 

/You were the voice that told me to go back home after Anon nearly destroyed me on the astral plane./ 

~Yes. You took a chance and lost more. You woke up. None of it was real. You wrote the story.~ 

/NO! You're wrong, like the last time. You are trying to trick me again. You know I can get back. You know I am not dead, and you want to keep me from my friends./ 

~You didn't believe me before, yet you woke up. What makes you think I'm lying now?~ the voice stated. 

Amanda stared at the figure. It was right before. She had woken up from the dream. Was she right now? Was this just a dream? 

/I don't know what I believe./ she whispered. 

The voice smiled. 

**A.C.**


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. The lyrics to "Dance with Me" are used in this chapter, and they belong to Debelah Morgan. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Twenty-Four**

**_~Amanda's Memorial~_**

Xavier gripped the sides of his hoverchair, the knuckles of his hands showing white. He moved the hoverchair closer to where Cara stood, and took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself. 

"Where is she, Cara?" he asked, with as much patience as he could muster. 

"I... I don't know, Professor..." Cara replied, shocked at the question. How could she possibly know where her friend was? How could any of them know? 

Xavier's hand shot out, grabbing Cara's arm in a vice-like grip. 

"You do know, Cara. I can feel it. Somewhere inside your memory is the answer we're looking for. What is it, Cara?" Xavier asked Cara, his voice and gaze intense. 

Cara's face was pale, her worried red eyes fixated on the Professor's grim face. 

"Xavier..." Jamar warned in an angry voice. He looked ready to attack if Xavier didn't unhand his wife. 

Xavier glanced at Jamar, then slowly released his grip on Cara's arm. He forcibly gained control over himself, then turned to address Cara once more. 

"I apologize for my behavior, Cara. I did not mean to scare you," he said softly. "I only wish to find Amanda... and I do believe you have the answer..." 

Cara massaged her sore arm, her eyes nervously darting between Xavier and her friends. Was it possible that she had the answer to their dilemma? She didn't know. Just then, a spark of memory ignited within her brain. Then suddenly, she felt she knew. 

"Amanda is in a place where thought is the reality, and the physical is merely an illusion." she said quietly. 

**Rainfall**

**_~The Void~_**

Amanda was no longer sure what she believed. Everything she ever knew was in question. Should she believe the voice, or follow her heart? She knew that this decision was critical. If she chose unwisely...... 

/What does this all mean?/ She asked. 

~I do not understand...~ the voice questioned. 

/If this is a dream, then why am I having it?/ 

~Why do any of us dream?~ 

/We usually dream so that we can aspire to the dream./ 

~Did you not see what you wanted in this dream?~ 

/Yes, I want friends and family. I want love in my life. I do not want to be left cold and hollow./ 

~Then you have learned all you can from your dream. It is time to go home.~ 

/But if I am wrong, I give up all I want./ 

~It is not real.~ 

/That is for me to decide./ 

**A.C.**

**_~Amanda's Memorial~_**

Sammi heard the racket around her as she came out of her meditation. She opened her eyes and locked sight with Cara. //We need to get everyone connected. We need to send out our love and help to Amanda as one. That is the only way it will work.// Sammi sent telepathically to everyone. 

"What are you talking about, Darlin'?" Logan asked as he moved over to her side as Sammi started to stand. 

"Amanda, needs help. She needs our help to know which path she has to take. And the only way we can help is to be a collective mind." Sammi said as she surveyed the group. She saw the dawning of what she was talking about cross over their faces. 

"Collectively is the only way we can help, and to do that we need all of the telepaths to link minds and branch out to the others." Sammi said. 

Jonas came up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're up to it?" 

"We have to be. We all have to be for Amanda's sake." Sammi said, looking around at everyone. They were her family. Her friends. Her life. 

**Jubilee_79**

**_~The Dream Realm~_**

Ymela, gazing into the fire's depth, realizes that there is something that is happening of great importance. Leaving her vigil, she goes to dig Hank and Hope out of the laboratory. They had been there for some time since the loss of Amanda. Ymela thought it had been a very unusual thing for Hank and Hope to spend their honeymoon locked up in the laboratory, but to each their own. 

"Hope, Hank, the others need you desperately. It has something to do with Amanda. It appears that Amanda is not truly dead, but lost. Go quickly to them." she calls at the door. 

Hope opens the door very quickly, she and Hank staring at Ymela in disbelief. 

"She's not dead???" They speak in unison. 

"Hope, test your feelings... can't you feel it?" 

Hope does as her mother asks, sending feelers out... "It...is... true, mother... why didn't I feel... " Hope goes into a dead faint, overcome by the sudden onslaught of emotions she had kept bottled up. 

Hank catches her, before she hits the ground. He looks at Ymela. "I guess, Mother, it is time to go back. I didn't realize so much time has passed." 

Ymela summons her faithful friend the bamf, which loves to do her bidding."Take Hank and Hope to where the others are." The bamf nods, grins, and does as she requests. 

**_~Amanda's Memorial~_**

The bampf drops off Hank and Hope near where Sammi and the others are. Hope wakes up a bit bewildered, and then realizing where she was gives a quick hug to Sammi, Cara and the others, while Hank is surrounded by his other friends. Jubilee, seeing the ring on Hope's finger, chides Hank. 

"You could have told us you were getting married." 

"I'm sorry. After the battle, Hope needed healing... and I went with her to her mother's home where we were married. However, it looks like we are all needed." 

Hope says to the others, "I'm sorry I left... but I'm here now to help if I can. Amanda needs to come home where she belongs." 

**Dreamweaver**

**_~Dance Studio, Earlier~_**

Leilee slapped away her partner's hands for the 5th time. She was on the set for the video "Dance with me" by Debelah Morgan. She had to do the dance scene because Debelah had sprained her ankle. But if her partner didn't stop trying to grope her, she was going to walk off the set. 

Sighing she looked at the director, silently begging him to do something. The director took pity on her and called for a 10 minute break. 

Leilee sighed and walked off the set, rubbing her neck. It was about time. Her stomach was churning, because she was worried about her teammates. But, Sammi and Ryan had insisted she stay here; so, she was here, working her ass off instead. 

She was staring off into space, when suddenly a hand wrapped around her mouth, yanking her into a darkened alcove. Spinning around, she saw her dance partner, Justin. Before she could say anything, he slammed her against the wall and mashed his mouth over hers, trying to shove his tongue down her throat. 

She was about to lift her knee up when suddenly, the weight on her was gone. She opened her eyes to see that Remy had knocked out her dance partner with one punch. She looked up at him for a moment before flinging herself into his arms. 

"I'm sorry, hon," she whispered into his chest. 

Remy smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I know, cherie. I know." 

Suddenly, a voice yelled, "All dancers on the set!" 

Leilee's eyes widened. "Sh*t! How am I gonna explain this to him?!" Then, she turned to Remy. "Hey.....You remember the dance, right? The one you helped me choreograph?" 

Remy nodded slowly. Then, his eyes widened and he shook his head. "Non. Non, petite...." 

She grabbed his arm. "You should have thought of that BEFORE you punched out my partner!" 

Remy sighed and allowed himself to be dragged towards the set. 

**_~A Half Hour Later~_**

Leilee and Remy placed their arms in the appropriate dance positions and waited for the music to begin. 

Remy murmured through clenched teeth, "You owe me, petite." 

Leilee smiled sweetly. "Don't worry. You'll get rewarded later." 

_Oh come and dance with me, my baby   
Let's dance, till we go crazy   
The night is young and so are we   
Let's make love and dance the night away _

Leilee smiled up into Remy. "Let's dance, Lover." They began to move to the music. 

_What I really wanna do   
Is just dance with you   
And feel your body tight   
Show ya how to do it right   
I can show you every move   
I know just what to do   
Each step we do is so fine  
One dance and you'll be mine _

So baby when we hit the floor   
You'll be asking for more   
Let's make love and dance the night away 

Oh come and dance with me, my baby   
Let's dance, till we go crazy   
The night is young and so are we   
Let's make love and dance the night away 

By this point, all thought had faded away, and every move between the two was purely reflex. 

_Oh put your hand in mine   
Promise I'll take my time   
We'll dance from head to toe   
I can dance fast or slow   
Baby look into my eyes   
Let the music hypnotize   
Let our bodies synchronize   
When we're dancing you'll be mine _

So baby when we hit the floor   
You'll be asking for more   
Let's make love and dance the night away 

Oh come and dance with me, my baby   
Let's dance, till we go crazy   
The night is young and so are we   
Let's make love and dance the night away 

Leilee pushed her body to the limit, making each move as sharp and clean as possible. Remy's strong arms supported her during every lift, dip and turn. 

_Oh when it comes to dancing  
I know how to move   
When it comes to passion   
I know just what to do   
I feel the music inside   
I feel like I am alive   
The tempo is right   
Let's make love _

Oh come and dance   
Let's dance   
The night   
Let's make love and dance the night away 

Oh come and dance with me, my baby   
Let's dance, till we go crazy   
The night is young and so are we   
Let's make love and dance the night away 

"CUT!" the director yelled, causing Leilee and Remy's heads to snap towards him. "That was GREAT! That's a wrap!" 

Leilee smiled and applauded with the rest of the crew. Then, suddenly, she sagged against Remy. Remy scooped her up and fended off queries with the simple words, "She's pregnant." As the crew nodded and smiled, after assuring themselves that it was all ok, Remy carried her off to his car. Reaching into the glove compartment, he pulled out a pack of smelling salts and let it drift under her nose. As suddenly as she had fainted, she was yanked back into consciousness. 

"I have to go." 

Remy grabbed her arm. "Where, petite?" 

Leilee looked at him. "It's Amanda. She's trapped, and she needs us. All of Vision X. I'm sorry, Remy, but I have to go!" 

Remy yanked her back and kissed her once more before letting her go. "Be careful, mon amour." 

Leilee smiled. "Promise. I love you," she whispered before opening a teleportation portal and stepping in to travel to Cara and the others. 

As it closed, he whispered, "Moi aussi, petite. Moi aussi." 

**Leilee**

**_~Memorial Service~_**

"Combining and sending your love to Amanda won't be enough," Xavier said, looking at Sammi. 

"What do you mean, Professor?" Sammi asked. 

"For your love to reach Amanda, it will need an anchor, and a weight." he explained. 

"An anchor and weight?" asked Cara. 

The Professor thought for a minute before replying. 

"Picture in your mind a rock climber, stranded on the face of a cliff. In fair weather conditions, a person standing on the top of the cliff could simply anchor one end of a rope to the top of the cliff, and drop the other end of the rope down to the rock climber. The rope, being anchored, would allow the climber safe passage to the top of the cliff. 

Now, picture a rock climber, stranded on the face of a cliff, in the middle of a horrible storm. If an anchored rope by itself was dropped down toward them, the wind would blow the rope away out of reach. In the middle of a storm, some sort of weight must be attached to the other end of the rope, so the wind couldn't blow it away. Only then would the rope safely reach the stranded climber." 

"Okay, let me see if I've got this straight." Cara said, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. 

"Amanda is the stranded rock climber. The cliff represents the Realm she is trapped in. The rescue rope represents our love... and the Storm represents the trials Amanda is going through. What are the weight and anchor?" 

"For a rock climber to climb safely up the cliff, one end of the rope must be anchored to the top of the cliff." Sammi said to herself, thinking. She looked over at Cara. 

"We are the Weight and the Anchor. Someone standing at one end of the rope, anchoring it to the cliff. Another person weighing it down, carrying the rope to the stranded person." She said, then explained, "To rescue Amanda, someone needs to be here, acting as an anchor. But someone will need to travel to the other Realm, carrying our love to her, acting as a weight so the love is not lost in the storm which surrounds Amanda. Isn't that right, Professor?" 

"That is correct, Samantha," said the Professor. 

"All right," said Cara, "that much I understand now. But HOW will we get our love into the next realm?" 

"By opening a portal into the next realm, and sending it through." said Jamar. 

"Hey everyone! Can anyone join in, or is this a closed set?" Leilee's voice broke in. 

She was standing right behind Cara, having 'ported in just in time to hear what was being planned. Cara swung around, gave a joyous squeal at seeing her friend there, and grabbed her in a Cara-Special bear hug. 

"Easy," Leilee laughed, "I just got back from a tough day on the set!" 

"How's the 'you and Remy' thing?" Cara quietly asked, pulling back and looking at her friend with concern. 

Leilee simply grinned to say they'd made up. Then she looked over at Sammi. 

"So, what's the plan, fearless leader?" she asked Sammi. 

"Alright, here's the plan." Sammi said, taking a deep breath as she got her thoughts in order. 

"First, we need to open a portal into the other Realm. This can be accomplished by Jamar and myself. Second, The telepaths and empaths need to link their powers together, and branch out to the others... becoming a collective mind and heart, so to speak. They will work together to combine all our love for Amanda, and send it through the portal..." Sammi stopped speaking for a moment, while working out the next step in her mind. 

"Third, someone will have to go through the portal along with our 'rescue rope', to make sure it reaches Amanda." Sammi finished. 

"Okay, that much is clear. But who will go through the portal?" asked Leilee. 

Xavier looked at the members of Vision-X and the X-Men. All seemed determined to go into the alternate realm to rescue Amanda. It was risky... although they had all faced danger before, had overcome odds which seemed impossible, Xavier couldn't allow them to take this risk. Not this time. This time, the risk would be his, and his alone. 

"I will go." Xavier said, his face showing that he would not be waived from his decision. 

**Rainfall**

**_~The Void~_**

Amanda was finding it more and more difficult to determine what was truth and what was a lie. She knew that the voice was not telling her the truth, but she did not know how much was a lie. 

/What would happen to the others if I chose to take your advice?/she asked. 

~But it is not..~ 

/I know, but what if it was real and I left them?/ 

~Even if this was real, my dear, your presence does not matter. In your fanasty, they think you're dead. They've moved on. It did not take them long, did it?~ 

/No, they would find me. They wouldn't have given up!/ exclaimed Amanda, knowing in her heart that her friends wold be looking for her. 

~They have already assigned a new leader, one whom they liked and respected. You know they valued Sammi more. They did everything possible to find her and bring her back. They just left you to die..~ sneered the voice. 

Amanda shook her head viciously in denial. She knew her friends would never abandon her. A tiny voice of doubt crept in. What if they did? 

/If they really did as you say, then I know for a fact that this a dream. My friends would never abandon me. Prove it./ 

The voice remained silent. It knew that it would have her with just a little creative editing. 

~Very well, my dear.~ 

**A.C.**

Amanda found herself back at Sinister's forteress. She could see the X-Men and Vision X gathered around Sammi. They seemed to be congratulating themselves on some type of victory. 

/What's going on?/ asked Amanda. 

~Watch.~ ordered the voice. 

"Well done, everyone." stated Xavier. 

"The best thing was that no one died. We're all together as a team." stated Cara. 

"Well, no one important died." stated Jamar. 

Everyone laughed at the joke. Everyone seemed to be happy. No one even seemed to care that she had died. They laughed at her death as if it was a joke. 

/You're lying./ cried Amanda. 

"Well, it's time we elect a real leader." stated Leilee. 

"You mean someone who is confident." stated Jonas 

"You mean someone who wouldn't boss us around like she is better than us." 

"Right!" exclaimed Vision X. 

"I nominate Sammi." stated Maggie. 

"Yes." replied Vision X. 

"Let's get out of this place. It's time we started living our lives again." stated Sammi. 

/No!/ cried Amanda, /This is all a lie./ 

~Really, my dear, can you be so sure?~ asked the voice. 

/No./ Amanda whispered, tears falling from her face. 

**A.C.**


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Chapter Twenty-Five**

Hope looks over at her "twin" and Hank's "twin". She is surprised at how much they looked like herself and Hank. The silvery tones of her mother's voice comes into her mind, 

~I am sorry my child, I had forgotten to tell you of the dream creatures that I had sent, to make certain that you were not missed until it was time to come back. I hope that you will forgive me for not letting you know.~ 

/That is all right, Mother. I forgive you. I can see why you had forgotten to tell me. Amanda being alive, but lost, is enough news that would drive things of a persons mind for the moment./ Hope replies, her mind touching her mother's. 

/How do I send them away?/she asks. 

~Hope, they are a part of you, which is why Wolverine didn't even notice that two stand in's were with them. To "send"them away, all you and Hank need to do is stand beside them and then they will meld with you, and you will get the memories that they experienced just as if you were there.~Ymela smiling as she says this. 

"Thank you, Mother," Hope says. 

Hope is rather relieved that no one had asked when she and Hank got married, and that they hadn't really said much as to why she thought she was gone after her hugs. The concern over Amanda took precedence. She quickly whispers to Hank, and they go to their "twins" to do as Ymela had instructed them to do. 

Just as Charles steps into the other realm to find Amanda, Hank and Hope meld with their dream-doubles. When that is done, Hope notices that Jubilee is next to them. She had realized that there had been two other Hank and Hopes. 

"Okay, what is going on?" she whispers,"I was about to ask when did you have time to get married. And when were there two each of you." 

Hope quickly explains what had happened. 

Jubilee shakes her head, "No wonder Wolverine didn't notice a difference." She looks over to where the others are, watching and sending their love along with Charles. "We should get over there now." 

Hope nods and accompanies her. Hank says to Hope, 

"I'll tell Wolverine later, dearest." Taking her hand and going back to the others with her. 

Jubilee smiles, "Hank certainly looks very happy," she says to herself. She joins with the others, concentrating on sending a lifeline of love to Amanda. 

**Dreamweaver**

**_~The Void~_**

Amanda was alone. She had managed some time to herself away from the voice that tormented her existance. Whether she was asleep or dead, she knew she was in hell. There was no other way to describe what was happening to her. Everything she believed was being called into question; every thought, every emotion, every belief. 

Amanda didn't want to believe the voice. She wanted to ignore it, but it had showed her too much. She saw the others moving on with their lives as if she didn't exist. They were marrying, dancing, and forming new schools. They didn't even have a funeral. Charles didn't even seem to care that she was gone. 

A part of her kept telling her that this was a lie. It was a ruse used by the voice for what ever reason it had. Another part kept reminding her that it had been right before. She was so busy with her thoughts that she didn't notice a presence approaching her. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Charles found it hard to navigate through the void, even though he had the use of his legs. When he had first gone through, he had been surprised to find himself standing in a dark void. He stood for a few seconds enjoying the use of his legs as he contemplated how to find Amanda. 

He could feel the strength of the emotions of the group holding him and centering him in the midst of such darkness. Closing his eyes, he let his mind guide him towards Amanda. The further he went, the more difficult it was for him to lock onto her. It felt like it did five years ago when Anon had scattered her mind across the astral plane. 

(God, please don't let that be the case.) he prayed. 

/Be strong, Xavier. She is here and in need of our aid./ advised Thanagar. 

(I was wondering if you two would be here.) 

/We will always be here to aid the both of you, sir./ informed Azmaru. 

(Do either of you know this realm?) questioned Xavier. 

/No. This realm is darker than anything I have ever known. Be on guard. I think I spy her over yonder, but I sense a darker presence around her./ stated Thanagar. 

Xavier spotted Amanda kneeling a few feet away from him. He tried to call out to her, but she appeared not to hear him. Then as suddenly as he saw her, she suddenly disappeared. Xavier could feel the presence Thanagar had sensed, and knew he had to act quickly to save her. 

**A.C.**

Xavier walked slowly, watching for the ominous presence he'd felt earlier. 

More images coalesced before his eyes, until finally he'd stepped out into Amanda's room. He saw her computer. The screensaver flashed "X-Men Rule!!!" 

He walked on through into a hall with stairs at the end of it. At the bottom stood Amanda. She looked up, catching sight of Xavier, and ran through one of the doors. 

Xavier gave chase, only to find himself once again in the darkness. The sound of someone crying caught his attention. 

"Help me! Please!" 

Xavier moved through the void. A girl about seven years old sat kneeling, crying her eyes out. Xavier notes the girl bares a striking resemblance to Amanda. He drops to a knee to talk with her. 

"What's wrong?" 

"The darkness, it's after me. Help me, or it's going to get me." 

The girl hugs Xavier tight and he picks her up. "I think we should go that way, mister." The girl says as she points at a light to their right. The girl's eyes shine as she smiles at Xavier. 

"Just a little farther, mister." 

A scream pierces through the blackness "CHARLES! NO!" 

**Chaos**

Charles stopped where he stood. the voice sounded familiar, but he could not recognize it. He was not sure what was going on in this world, but he was sure that nothing was what it seemed. The voice could be a warning of some unknown danger, or it was an attempt to stop he from finding Amanda. The girl thrashing in his arms broke his chain of thought. 

"Come on, mister, we have to go." stated the girl. 

Charles looked at the girl as some insight flashed in his mind. He had assumed that the girl was the psychic image of Amanda's subconscious; however, with all that he felt about this place, Charles found himself wondering if that assumption was wise. Could light represent dark here? Could any innocent child be evil? 

/Be wary, Xavier. We are not in your world, and thy are not sure of what is truth and what is a falsehood./ warned Azmaru. 

(I had forgotten about you two. Can you sense Amanda anywhere?) questioned Xavier. 

/She is everywhere and nowhere. She is all around this place, yet she does not stand out from the shadow./ informed Thanagar. "Mister, we have to hurry." stated the girl impatiently. 

"What is in the light, my dear?" questioned Xavier. 

"Safety." stated the girl with obvious annoyance. 

/It could be a trap, Xavier./ warned Azmaru. 

/He is right. Safety is not always the right path./ advised Thanagar. 

Charles could tell the girl wanted to go; however, he knew he could not move carelessly. He was in an unknown world, and one wrong step could lead to danger. He would have to choose carefully. 

**A.C.**

**_~Marvel Universe~_**

Cara groaned in pain. The amount of energy it took to help link everyone's emotions together was fast draining her resources, and the resources of her teammates. She worried about Sammi and Jamar. Strong though they were, keeping the portal open for so long was taking it's toll. Cara could feel their determination and courage, but also could feel the pain such a task caused them. They couldn't keep it up forever. 

~Professor... please hurry... or both you and Amanda may be trapped forever.~ She thought. 

**Rainfall**

**_~The Void~_**

Charles heard Cara's plea, and knew he needed to choose. Following his instincts, Charles put the girl down. The girl seemed confused by this, and looked hurtfully at Charles. 

"I don't know who you are, but I know you are not Amanda. Where is she?" he demanded. 

The girl stared at him for a few minutes, and then seemed to realize that the deception would not work. Slowly a dark twisted smile appeared on her face and her eyes turned black. Charles could feel the area start to grow cold. Everything grew dark. 

"I underestimated you, Xavier." stated a demonic voice that came from the child's lips. 

"Where is Amanda?" he demanded again. 

"Oh, here and there. There is no real direction here. I like it that way. Oh, your little tricks won't work here. That stupid chain of love is pathetic. Amanda will soon realize how fake love is anyway. You have already moved on without her. She isn't even Vision X's leader. It took you very little time to choose another." explain the voice. 

"What lies have you been feeding her?" 

"I don't deal with lies, only the truth. You left her alone to face an enemy she couldn't defeat. You all sacrificed everything to help Cara and Sammi. Why didn't you help her?" 

"You have been deceiving her. She knows we care for her. She knows we love her." 

"If she knew, then why is she here?" 

"Amanda, can you hear me?" shouted Xavier. 

"I don't think she wants to see you." stated the voice. 

"Amanda, I know you can hear me. I want you to listen to me. We all care about you. Vision X, the X-men and I all care for you. I love you. You have to stop doubting it. You have to start believing that people care for you, or no matter how many times they tell you, it won't matter. You have to believe you are capable of being loved, or you will never be able to feel love." pleaded Charles as he realized that she needed to free herself. 

"What a cute little speech. You don't really expect her to believe it." taunted the voice. 

Suddenly a movement caught their eyes. There, a few feet away, stood Amanda in her original Vision X uniform. 

"Do you really love me, Charles?" she whispered. 

**A.C.**

"Don't you know that by now?" questioned Charles. 

"I thought I did. I'm not sure about anything now." replied Amanda from a distance. 

"You have to believe me." replied Charles, who sensed that what he did or said now was important. 

"I did that once. I believed this was all real, but then I woke up only to find it all a dream. I was alone again." Replied Amanda as she retreated further into the darkness. 

"Amanda, I don't know what to say to you." 

The dark figure laughed. It knew it had won. It could feel Amanda drawing further back into the darkness as the statement hung in the air. 

/What are you doing, Xavier?/ hissed Thanagar. 

(Trust me.) replied Charles. 

"Amanda, you have to trust us. I, and your teammates, can tell you how we feel about you; however, if you don't believe us, then nothing we say matters. Yes, they elected Sammi as leader, but it was because they needed one. They are fighting to bring you back now because you're their friend. Cara is at the breaking point, but she is not giving up because she cares. We all do. 

"This place is shaped by you. I think it was created by you. This is your doubt. You have to let go of it. You're the only one who can. Come home with me. Come home to your family." stated Charles as he held his hand towards her. 

Amanda stared at the hand. Charles held his breath. Live or die, it was her choice. She had to do this. Slowly he saw her reach out towards him. He felt her hand in his, and pulled her in his arms and held her close. Slowly everything around them disappeared, leaving only a white void. 

"Let's go home." whispered Charles into her head. 

She smiled up at him and shook her head and walked with him into the light. 

**A.C.**

**_~Marvel Universe~_**

With a blinding flash of light, the portal to the netherrealm drew closed. Cara and many of the others fell to the ground, exhausted. They had used up all of their resources and more, and were completely drained. Cara fought the exhaustion which threatened to claim her; fought the urge to give up, lay down and sleep. She drew herself up into a sitting position and looked over at Sammi and Jonas, who were nearby. 

"Are they here? Did they make it?" she asked worriedly. 

Sammi didn't answer. She didn't have the strength or heart. Bitter tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned and buried her face in Jonas's chest. She and Jamar had not been strong enough... though they had tried their hardest, they just could not keep the portal open any longer. Amanda and the Professor were lost forever in that awful void. They had failed. 

Cara wept, overcome by the despair felt by her friends. Her heart was breaking. How could they come so close, only to fail now? Jamar attempted to draw her into his arms, but Cara pushed him away. She refused to be comforted. All was lost. Jamar read her thoughts through their psychic connection, and shook his head softly. He reached out to Cara again, in mind, body and heart. 

~No, love. All is not lost. As long as we have hope in our hearts, all will never be lost. Look around you. We have each other, our future children, and our friends. Though the professor and Amanda may not be with us physically, they will always be with us in spirit, and in our hearts. They will never be lost. Don't shut out hope, Cara. And don't shut me out. Not when we need each other the most.~ he spoke softly in her mind. 

Cara sat still, watching her beloved. He was so kind, so gentle, and she loved him with all her heart. She closed her eyes and threw her arms around his neck, holding him close. 

"I'm sorry," she said in a shaky voice. 

"It's alright, my love, It's alright," Jamar said, rocking her gently. 

Something in the air alerted Storm; a stirring in the wind which felt unnatural to her. Cara and Jamar soon picked up on the change, as well as the others. Something was about to happen. Cara tensed up. 

/Great./ she thought to herself. /It's probably a new villain coming to gloat and cause trouble for us in our time of misery. Can't we ever get a decent break? Why do things like this always happen to us?/ 

~Would we be Vision-X if they didn't?~ Eric thought to Cara on their twin link. 

Cara looked across the clearing at her twin brother. 

~Eric, this isn't the time to joke around. Can't you feel that there's something coming?~ she thought. 

~Yes, Cara. I can,~ he thought back. ~Can't you? Can't you feel who it is?~ 

Cara's eyes opened wide, as she finally understood what her twin was telling her. 

"It's THEM," she said softly. 

A blinding flash of light tore through the dark clouds overhead, more brilliant than any light which they had ever seen before. It swept over the clearing, enveloping everyone and everything in sight. When the light receded, Leilee cried out with joy. For there, in the middle of the clearing, were Amanda and the Professor. 

Tears softly rolled down Cara's cheeks, as a warm wave of hope and joy flowed through herself and her friends. They had succeeded. Amanda had come home. 

**Rainfall**


	26. Epilogue

Authors: A.C., Admiral, Chaos, Maria_Cline, Dreamweaver, Flame, Jubilee_79, Lady_Yann, Le Fae, Leilee, Rainfall, Snowbaby and Teb.  
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story. 

**Welcome to Reality-Epilogue**

Amanda examined the clearing around her, and realized that she was at the mansion. The funny thing was that she didn't remember coming here. The last thing she remembered was the hotel, and dealing with Anon and Nightmare. She could see Vision X and the X-Men racing towards them. They all appeared to be crying, and looked as if they had come from a funeral. Amanda turned to Charles who was on the ground beside her. She didn't understand why he looked so happy. 

"What's going on? Who died?" she asked, concerned about the situation. 

"For a minute we thought it was you all, fearless leader." replied Jamar as he approached and placed her in a bear hug. 

The rest of Vision X followed, and then the X-Men. Amanda was touched by the show of love she was receiving, but could not understand what was going on. Charles examined Amanda's expression closely. She appeared to have no idea what was going on. He soon began to wonder if she remembered any of it. 

"Keep this up, Amanda, and we'll soon be questioning whether you're a Summer's or not." replied Sammi sheepishly while she ignored the glare from Scott. 

"Sammi, what the hell is going on? One minute I'm getting my ass kicked by some fictional monster, and the next I'm back at the mansion." demanded Amanda. 

"Don't you remember?" asked Maria. 

"Remember what? Why do you guys look like you just came from a funeral? Why do Athena and Hope have wedding bands on? Why are Maggie and Tina here, and why are they being nice to Logan? Who are those kids with Jonas?" she demanded. 

"You don't have a clue what happened these last few days, do you? You don't remember the island, the battles... your death?" questioned Jamar. 

"I didn't die, though I'm sure Anon would have been pleased if I did. I haven't been to an island in years since my trip to Hawaii." 

"Amanda, I think we need to get you to the med-lab. You are suffering from some type of memory loss." stated Hank. 

"What?!" 

"Amanda, we defeated Sinister. Cara saved Anon. You defeated Nightmare yourself, and in the process lost your life." explained Jonas carefully. 

"Charles, is that true?" pleaded Amanda as she turned to him. 

"Yes." he replied. 

**A.C.**

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Ryan paced the floor as she and everyone else waited on news about Amanda. Amanda had gone pale when Charles had confirmed what had happened. Ryan watched the shock kick in, even though her face remained neutral. Ryan remembered how eerily calm her voice sounded when she asked them to tell her what had happened in detail. 

Sammi, Cara, and Charles struggled to tell her the details while trying to reassure her that everything was all right. Victor had been the calmest of them all, and suggested that an examination might be the best course of action. Amanda had left with Hank and Hope, and no one had heard anything since. 

"Are ya okay, darlin'?" asked Victor as he approached Ryan. 

"I'm just worried about her. She seemed abnormally calm. I hope that this hasn't damaged her in any way." replied Ryan. 

"She's a strong frail. She'll make it through. She made it through me, didn't she?" 

"Yeah, she kicked your ass." 

"I wouldn't go that far." Victor warned as his love laughed. 

"Ryan, I wanna..." 

"Will you marry me?" interrupted Ryan. 

"Hey, I thought I was supposed ta ask!?" teased Victor. 

"I'm a modern woman. We don't wait for what we want, we get it." 

"You want me?" 

"More than anything. I want us to be a family. I want you to help me raise Kat. I want to have another child with you so I can yell at you during delivery. I want to see you scare Our daughter's date..." 

"She ain't datin' til she's fifty." 

"IS that a yes?" 

"Girl, I'd be crazy to say no." 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Teb and Skins were in the pool. They had gotten tired waiting for info, and decided to take a break at a place that had so many good memories for them. They were goofing off in the shallow end when Maria joined them. 

"How's the water?" she asked. 

"Just right, chica." replied Skins as he succeeded in dunking Teb under the water. 

"I guess you guys had the same idea." stated Bobby as he, Athena, and the kids joined them. 

Athena walked over to Maria and hugged her as she sat with her along the edge of the pool. They were soon joined by the members of the X-Men and Vision X who were not with Amanda. Sammi came over and sat by the girls as she watched her children play with their grandparents. Soon the group were joined by Cara, Jamar, Jonas, Hope, Maggie, Tina, and Leliee. 

"It's been some ride, hasn't it?" stated Sammi 

"That's the understatement of the year, sis." replied Jamar. 

"I wouldn't trade it in for the world." stated Jonas as he turned to watch his children play. 

"I have to agree, since I'm getting married." declared Ryan as she was engulfed in hugs and well wishes. 

"We were really lucky to all have made it." stated Hope. 

"I'm worried about Amanda. Did she really make it through?" questioned Teb as she joined them. 

"She'll be all right. She just needs to adapt to what has happened. At least she's alive." answered Cara as she reached out to her love. 

"Cara's right. She'll be okay. She just doesn't remember the bad stuff. I mean, who wants to remember dying." added Jamar. 

"Yeah, but she forgot she's engaged too." noted Sammi. 

"WHAT!!" exclaimed the others. 

"Oops! I forgot it was a secret." replied Sammi sheepishly. 

"It seems we'll be spending the next couple of months attending wedding and baby showers." informed Maggie. 

"There are worst fates. I'm glad we all met." stated Maria. 

Everyone smiled at the thought when a ball landed in the middle of their huddle, splashing everyone. They all turned to see the X-men smiling. The children were sitting around the pool, laughing. 

"Well, I think it's time to see which team is the best, bub." declared Wolverine. 

"A water volleyball duel, dad." stated Sammi as Vision X got into position. 

"Just think of this as maneuvers training, Sammi," stated Scott. 

"You're about to get the smack down on your candy ass." declared Jamar as he got ready. 

"Just put up or shut up, shuga." mocked Rogue. 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

As Vision X and the X-men engaged in the battle, Amanda watched from the window of the med-lab. 

Amanda watched her team enjoying themselves in the pool. She could sense their happiness and contentment, and smiled. She had heard everything they said... rather, she had psychically read their minds. She was pleased that she had managed the feat without them knowing, considering the telepathic power of Sammi and Jamar. She could feel the increased power of her team, though she didn't know when the increased power happened. It seemed she was missing quite a bit, particularly the part about an engagement. 

/I was going to mention it./ stated Charles telepathically. 

(Really? when did you plan to mention it? When I was planning on leaving?/ 

/Are you leaving?/ questioned Charles. 

(What do you think?) replied Amanda. 

/I'm never quite sure with you. You have a way of surprising me. One minute you say you love me, the next you're in my enemy's arms./ teased Charles in an attempt to hide his fear. 

(Good. I wouldn't want our marriage to get stale.) 

/Are you sure? I want you to consider all that.../ 

(Charles, just shut up and kiss me.) 

Charles drew the love of his life in his arms and did just that. Amanda held on tight. Despite her memory loss, she knew she could always count on his love. 

(Charles?) she asked. 

/What is it, love?/ 

(When are you going to tell me about Lillandera?) 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

Dinner that night was a joyful event. Ryan and Amanda announced their engagements, while their guys tried not to laugh at the group's reaction. Scott's reaction was priceless when he choked on his Samuel Adams at the news that his beloved mentor was marrying a younger woman. Jean got him some water while Logan tried hard not to pee his pants. 

Sammi smiled at the easiness that these two groups had come together. She laughed as she watched her children learn billiards from their grandfather and great-uncle. The latter two were arguing about strategies, while her husband and brother were making faces behind their backs. Cara and Jamie Madrox ( the rest of the X-family had come for dinner) were arguing about baseball, and challenging each other to a game. They were probably the only two who could have a game with just themselves. 

Maria and Teb were talking to Cable, Banshee, and Skins. Skins seemed a little nervous around Cable, but Teb was cool enough to keep the conversation going. Athena and Hope were doing the dishes in the kitchen while Hank and Bobby were arguing over who ate the last Twinkie. Hope and Athena laughed at the conversation. 

Leilee was in Remy's arms while they talked to Rogue and Warren. Rogue was teasing Remy about marriage, while Remy just smiled and said it would be soon. Leilee proposed a double ceremony, and Warren blanched, causing the other three to laugh. Tina and Maggie teamed up to play some card game against Charles and Magneto, while Eric stayed by to referee. Despite the volatility of the two groups, they were working well together despite the few arguments. 

"It's nice to see." stated Amanda as she approached from behind. 

"I was worried we might not get there." stated Sammi lightly. 

"About what happened with the kidnapping, I..." 

"Don't worry about it. I could say the same to you. We thought we lost you. Charles mentioned something about leadership. I want you to know that I accepted the job because of what happened. I'm willing to give it up." 

"Why? The X-Men have two leaders, why can't we? Jamar is going to be teaching. I'm going to be here with Charles, and Leilee and Tina are probably going to stay. We're going to need two leaders." 

"I'm so glad I fell through that portal and landed on Hank." Sammi stated. 

"I'm glad I crashed my car... whatever happened to my car?" questioned Amanda, while Sammi started laughing. 

**A.C.**

Wolverine overheard Amanda's comment, and he almost dropped his cue stick. He strangled a laugh inside his throat before it could get out, and he faked a cough. If Amanda ever picked up on the truth about what happened to her car... well, he didn't want to think about it. 

Cara was discussing baseball with Jamie, when her empathic senses centered in on the silent waves of laughter emanating from Wolverine. 

/Hmmm... I wonder what made Wolverine feel like that?/ she wondered. /Apparently it has something to do with Amanda's car... oh, this has got to be good./ her red eyes twinkled mischievously. 

"Yes, what happened to Amanda's car?" she asked. 

**Rainfall**

Suddenly all the X-Men got really quiet. Vision X and Magneto looked at the members' faces. Some were trying hard not to die from laughter, while others had gone pale. Amanda took in the scene carefully. She turned to Charles and saw that he was trying desperately not to start laughing. 

"What car are they talking about?" asked Tina, causing Logan to start to turn red from concealed laughter. 

"Yeah, what car? " demanded Victor, who was as baffled as the rest. 

"My car. The one I was driving when I came here. The one that was a graduation gift from my parents. The car I love. The car that should still be here as some type of loving tribute from the love of my life. The car that might cost someone their life if I don't get an answer." declared Amanda in her best Stone Cold voice as she sent a contrary message to her team psychically. 

Cara smiled at Amanda as she, Sammi, and Jamar did as she asked. They sent the information to Amanda who smiled inwardly at the fun she was about to have. 

"Hank, Bobby, do you mind if I could talk to you privately?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice. 

"Why do you want to talk to us?" questioned Bobby as he grew a little paler. 

"Why, Athena told me that you and Hank had discovered a taste in modern art, and I was just wondering if I could see your work?" she replied as she slowly approached them. 

"What modern art?" replied Hank as he slowly motioned Bobby towards the door. 

"You know that wonderful piece in the garden, darling." stated Hope, playing along, " The piece you showed us this morning." 

"You know that it's too dark out there to view it properly, Amanda." explained Bobby as he moved closer to the door. 

"That's quite all right. My psychic weapons produce quite a bit of light. You know... my bow, my sword, my arrows..." 

"Amanda, now, let's not do anything we might regret." stated Hank who knew the gig was up. 

"Oh, believe me... I won't regret anything. I didn't regret the cop car, did I?" 

"Amanda, it was just a little fun. We didn't realize it was yours until after..." stated Bobby as he reached behind to open the door. 

"Who did you think it belonged to? It just had my name in the registration and insurance papers!" 

Charles watched as Amanda approached the two, and tried not to wet his pants. He could tell that she wasn't serious. He turned towards Magneto, and saw the huge grin on his face. He realized that he had also seen through the show. Charles smiled as he realized that he was going to have to get used to his old friend being around. Eric and Amanda were friends, and if he were truthful, so were Eric and himself. Amanda was a calming influence on Eric, and could get him to look at both sides of the issue where he was never able to do with the man. 

A sudden shout interrupted his thoughts as he saw Hank and Bobby make a run for it. They hadn't made it far when a loud splash was heard, and what sounded like curses being mumbled. Vision X broke down in tears from laughter, and Amanda had a smug look on her face. Charles smiled at his love as she turned to him. 

"Well, what did you think was going to happen? That's what they get for turning my car into a paintball fort." 

**_~*~*~*~*~*~_**

A few hours later, after Bobby and Hank had dried off, everyone had gone outside to have a bon fire. Amanda had left to inspect her car, only to return a little later with a promise to show Hank and Bobby what a paintball game was really like. Sammi and Jonas sat near the fire with the children, while the others found seats near or close by the fire. 

Charles smiled as he enjoyed the sense of family. When he had chosen this path in life, he had always believed it would be a lonely one. He had never dreamed that he would have met these people who he would come to care for so much. The chance of them all finding each other were about a billion to one, yet they had defied all the odds and became a family. For the first time in a long time, Charles Xavier realized how truly blessed he was. 

(Amazing what happens when one dreams.) stated Amanda as she settled besides him. 

/I had always believed that my ultimate dream was for peace between mutants and humans./ 

(Isn't it still?) 

/No. It still is an important dream; however, I just realized that my ultimate dream was just to belong somewhere. To be a part of something./ 

Amanda smiled as she leaned over to kiss him, ( We all did, Charles, we all did.) 

**A.C.**

**_=THE END=_**


End file.
